


Thousand Oaks

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Marvelous Men of Montana Saga [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fluff, cowboy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-01-10 04:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12291693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: You and Sam definitely do not have the most conventional relationship, but you can't deny the passion between the two of you.  When outside forces threaten both your relationship and your lives, will the bond you've formed be enough to keep you together?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _This is the third installment of the Marvelous Men of Montana Saga! If you’ve already read Wolf Creek and South Hills, thank you! If not, you’ll still be able to follow along with this story, but I highly recommend reading the first two parts before reading this one. Now that South Hills is over, the Reader in that story needs a name. I’ve chosen the name Kieran for Pip. Kieran means little dark one, which I thought was appropriate for our little Pipsqueak. (Also, I really just love the name!). If you didn’t pick up on the clues I left behind in South Hills as to the identity of Sam’s love interest, I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised! Enjoy!_

Sam pulled up in front of Bucky's house and blew the horn. He hated that he was always the one that got stuck picking him up for poker night on the weekends Kieran came into town, but he was the closest, so it made the most sense.

Bucky came out of the house wearing his dressy jeans and a dark blue button up shirt. Sam shook his head with a laugh as he thought about Bucky primping in the bathroom, adding just the right amount of gel to make his hair look just so. If anyone had told him Bucky Barnes would be dating the girl he'd teased and tormented all throughout high school, he'd have called them a liar.

Now that Steve and Rowan were happily married and Bucky was in a serious relationship with Kieran, he and Peter had started wondering when their time of bachelorhood would be up. Peter was adamant that he'd never fall in love – there were just too many beautiful women in the world for him to settle for one. Sam had a different outlook on the whole idea of marriage. He saw what Steve and Bucky had and a part of him wished he could find someone to share his life with.

"Hey, Sam," Bucky said as he hopped in the cab. "Thanks again for the ride."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said. "Tell me again why Kieran has to come pick you up from poker night?"

Bucky shook his head as he got comfortable in his seat. "I've told you, man, Kieran likes to drop by and see Maria and Scott when she's in town. It wouldn't make sense for us both to have a vehicle at Peter's when we'll be ending up at the same place."

Sam raised his eyebrows and gave Bucky a knowing look as he started back down the driveway toward the main road. "I think it's because y'all are too horny to actually make it back to your place before you need to pull over and say a proper hello."

Bucky burst out laughing at Sam's deduction. "I'm pleading the fifth."

"Uh-huh," Sam said, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Remind me to never ride in the backseat of that car."

Sam pulled out onto the highway, his arm resting on the window sill. It was early fall and the temperature was just starting to drop, so he preferred to ride with the windows down.

"You mind if we roll the windows up?" Bucky asked, his hand going to his hair to make sure it was still in place.

"Naw, man," Sam answered. "The AC's busted."

Bucky gave Sam a disbelieving look as he reached over to try the controls. 

Sam's hand shot out and smacked Bucky's. "You know you're not allowed to touch anything in my truck."

"Come on, Sam," Bucky whined. "That was one time. Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

Sam pulled up to a stop sign and turned toward Bucky dramatically. "'That was one time?' Are you perhaps referring to that one time you ripped the steering wheel off of my car. . .while I was still driving it? That one time?"

Bucky had the decency to look chagrined. "You know I wasn't myself that night. I gotten into Tony's liquor cabinet with Steve and Nat, and we were all so wasted."

"You ripped the steering wheel off of my car as I was driving it, Bucky," Sam yelled. "I don't care how much you'd drank that night – that's not something I'm ever going to forget. Now keep your hands off of my truck and enjoy the breeze. Your coif will survive for a few more minutes."

Bucky did as he was asked and they were soon pulling up in front of Peter's house. He went to press the control to roll the window back up, but one evil glare from Sam, complete with threat of bodily harm, had Bucky raising his hands in surrender. 

Poker night had gotten a bit crowded in the past few months now that Rowan had joined them and Wanda and Maria were bringing Vis and Scott. Kieran never stayed too long – both she and Bucky were too eager to spend as much time alone together as they could since she'd started her doctorate program in Missoula.

Sam had been worried that Vis and Scott might not fit in with their tight-knit group, but within a half hour that first night, it was as though they'd always been a part of the group. Vis had an odd sense of humor that took some getting used to, but Sam and Scott had hit it off immediately. They tended to feed off of one another and once they'd gotten a few beers in them, no one was safe from their teasing.

Tonight was no different as Sam sat back in his chair and took a long swig of his beer. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Nat was quietly divesting them of all their hard earned money, a sly smirk on her face the only sign of emotion she allowed while she played. Maria was trying to stay as cool as Nat, but one wink from Scott was all it took for her to develop a goofy grin and a case of the giggles. Wanda had never been a big fan of the weekly ritual, but once she'd found out Vis had never played, it'd become her mission to teach him everything she knew – which amazingly enough, was quite a bit. Steve and Rowan spent most of the night playing footsie under the table, but that was to be expected from newlyweds. Peter would occasionally glance around at all the happy couples, scowl, and then yell at Bucky for sneaking a peek at his phone under the table.

Sam loved his life. He had a great group of friends and a job he loved, but he knew something was missing. He'd dated a few women off and on over the years, but nothing had stuck. There wasn't anything wrong with the ladies he'd gone out with, but the spark just wasn't there. Maybe he'd get lucky like Wanda and Maria, and the perfect woman would just pop up out of the blue.

Sam was brought out of his thoughts by a sharp jab in his ribs.

"Man, you gotta pay more attention to the game unless you plan on leaving all your money and your dignity in Vegas," Peter said to Sam with a knowing look. "Trust me on this, I have first-hand experience."

"First of all," Sam began as he rubbed his sore ribs, "you jab me in the ribs with your elbow one more time and the two of us are going have words. Secondly, I'm only going to Vegas because of the Law Enforcement Conference. They don't give us enough time to get into too much trouble."

"You say that now, Wilson," Bucky teased, his eyebrows doing a little dance. "It's called Sin City for a reason."

"Now, boys," Nat chimed in. "We all know our esteemed Sheriff isn't the type to engage in questionable activities."

"I want to thank you for that, Nat, but somehow I don't think it was meant as a compliment," Sam said.

Nat's smirk grew deeper as she threw her ante into the pile. "All I'm saying is that you and Steve were always the Boy Scouts in our group. I wasn't the least bit surprised you grew up to be the Sheriff."

Steve started to say something in his and Sam's defense, but one cocked eyebrow from Rowan had him reconsidering.

"So, let me get this straight," Peter said. "You're going all the way to Vegas for a week, and you don't plan to hit any of the casinos?"

"I didn't say I wasn't planning to gamble a bit," Sam said in his defense. "I'm just not going there strictly to have fun. This is a business trip that the Missoula County Sheriff's department is paying for, and it's my duty – as an officer of the law – to make sure that I learn all there is to learn so that I can better protect the citizens of my district here in Thousand Oaks."

"Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Maria asked as she took a long pull from her bottle of beer.

"You're hilarious," Sam told Maria with a sarcastic look on his face. 

Sam was interrupted from saying more when Kieran walked through the door. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

She may have addressed her question to the whole room, but her gaze was centered on Bucky. Looking back on the years, Sam realized that her gaze had always been centered on Bucky, they'd all just chosen not to notice. He had to admit that the two of them were a good match – her levelheadedness kept his friend out of trouble, and Bucky's carefree attitude kept her from taking life too seriously.

Sam watched as she rounded the table and took a seat on Bucky's lap, leaning down to give him a kiss before grabbing his bottle of beer from the table. 

The conversation quickly shifted away from his trip to Vegas as Kieran caught up on the lives of her friends since the last time she'd been in town. They continued to play as they talked, but Sam could tell Bucky was getting antsy and wanted his girlfriend's attention all to himself. Deciding to help him out a bit, Sam pushed his chair back and rose to leave.

"As much fun as this has been," he said, "I have an early flight to catch. I'll see you guys next Friday night."

Everyone bid him goodnight and wished him a safe flight as Bucky and Kieran gave one another a knowing look.

"I think Kieran and I are going to head out as well," Bucky said as he unwrapped his arm from around her waist so she could stand up.

"It was great catching up with y'all," Kieran said as Bucky took her hand and led her from the room. "Sunday afternoon lunch at the Café before I head back to Missoula?"

It had become a tradition for all of Bucky's and Kieran's friends to meet at her old Café for lunch on Sundays since she taken the teaching position at the University of Montana a few months ago. Kieran missed being in Thousand Oaks, but the opportunity to teach while simultaneously earning her doctorate had been too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Sam was just starting down the drive when the pair came out of the house. Bucky gave him a nod in silent acknowledgement of Sam's help to give him an excuse to get some alone time with his girl. Sam shook his head as he looked back to see Bucky wasting no time as he pulled Kieran toward him for a proper kiss hello.

Sam drove through the quiet streets of Thousand Oaks as he did one last patrol before heading home. The high school football team was playing an away game, so the town was basically deserted. His mind wandered back to Bucky and the easy way in which he and Kieran had transitioned from friends to lovers, and even though he didn't want to be, he had to admit that he was jealous of his friend.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he made his way back home. He had an early flight to catch and a long week of conferences to attend. He'd worry about his love life once he got back to Thousand Oaks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 1 of this story!  Do you have any ideas about what's going to happen next?  Any clue as to who the lucky lady is going to be?  I look forward to your comments!_


	2. Chapter 2

This wasn't Sam's first trip out of Montana – he'd been to Minneapolis and Denver for other Law Enforcement conferences. This was, however, his first trip to Las Vegas. Even under the harsh glare of the mid morning sun, the strip was still an impressive site. He'd led his friends to believe that he had no interest in the Vegas nightlife, but he was anxious to get this first day of classes over with so he could see the city at night, in all of its gaudy neon glory.

The cab pulled up in front of the MGM Grand hotel and Sam had to clamp his teeth together to keep from gawking at the sight before him. He'd seen pictures on the internet, but he hadn't been prepared to see it in person. 

He swiped the credit card the Sheriff's Department had given him to use for the trip, adding a nice tip for the cab driver before grabbing his bag and exiting the car. He stood on the sidewalk and tried not to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that were entering and exiting the hotel. 

Walking into the hotel, he realized that there were probably more people in the lobby than in his entire town. Nodding his head with a cocky smile on his face, he mentally prepared himself for what was bound to be an unforgettable trip.

Once he'd checked in, he'd then had to find his way to his room. The Sheriff's Department had only sprung for the cheapest room available, so he was on one of the lower floors in the West Wing and the only way to get there from the lobby was through the Casino. The lights and sounds from the slot machines were tempting, but he knew he needed to drop off his bag and quickly change clothes so that he could make his way to the Conference Center before registration closed. 

Finally finding the elevators for the West Wing, he noticed a small bar just around the corner. Aptly named the West Wing Bar, it looked to be somewhat smaller than the one he'd passed in the lobby. He'd have to make it a point to grab a drink there before he turned in for the night since it seemed as though it would be less crowded, tucked away as it was.

His room looked like every other hotel room he'd ever stayed in – bathroom to the left as you entered and a king sized bed just around the corner. There was a flat-screen TV, a small desk and chair, and a mini-bar that he was sure would be too expensive to be worth its convenience.

Dropping his bag on the end of the bed, he grabbed a fresh pair of slacks and a polo with the Missoula County Sheriff's logo stitched on it. Not feeling comfortable without his sidearm, he pulled his gun from its case at the bottom of the bag and slipped on his shoulder holster. He grabbed a light windbreaker and pulled it on to conceal his gun. Nevada had an open-carry law, but unless he was in uniform, he liked to keep his gun hidden so as not to draw attention to himself. The hotel knew law enforcement officers from all over the country would be here this week, so they had to expect that they would all be carrying a weapon while they were here. He checked the map one last time to make sure he could remember the way to the Conference Center and grabbed a room card. 

It was easy to find his way, although, it was a long way to walk. He'd noticed other officers as they made their way through the maze of the casino toward the Conference Center. He didn't speak to any of them, but they'd given him a silent nod of acknowledgement. The registration area was crowded and Sam peered over the sea of people to see where he needed to go. 

That's when he saw her.

She had her back to him and would have probably escaped his notice if it hadn't been for the bright red blazer she was wearing. She turned her head and their eyes met from across the room. Sam inhaled sharply as he got a good look at her face. She wasn't what you would call a classic beauty, but there was something about her that instantly caught his attention. He felt as though he'd seen her face before, but he couldn't place where. He gave her a flirty smile and she looked away bashfully. 

The crowd grew deeper and he lost sight of her as he made his way to the registration desk. By the time he'd checked in and found his name tag, the lady in red had disappeared. He glanced at the table she'd been by when he'd spotted her and made a note that she was attending the AWP Conference. There was a stack of pamphlets on the edge of the table, so he grabbed one before making his way to the Grand Ballroom for the opening session.

Sam knew he should be paying attention to the speaker, but his attention was still focused on the lady in red. He'd purposefully taken a seat in the back so he could take a few moments to read through the pamphlet. Maybe if he could figure out why she was here, he could figure out a way to find her again. He learned that the AWP was the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. The pamphlet boasted that they were the largest literary conference in North America with more than thirteen thousand writers and readers attending each year. Sam gave a dejected sigh as he realized with that many people, he'd probably never see her again. Putting the pamphlet away, he gave his attention to the speaker as he tried not to let his disappointment ruin a trip he'd been looking forward to for months.

By the time they'd been released for the evening, Sam was exhausted. His flight had only been about two hours long and he'd only traveled one time zone over, but between the stress of traveling and the mysterious woman, he was ready for a cold beer and good night's sleep.

The casino was even more crowded now that the conferences had let out and thousands of police officers and writers had filtered in. Sam almost had to elbow his way through to get to the hall leading to the west wing, but once he was out of the crush of people, the noise level dropped considerably and he felt as though he could breathe again. 

Bypassing the elevators, he walked into the small bar and knew he'd made a good choice coming here. There were more people than he'd thought there'd be, but it was still quieter than the bar off the casino would have been. He made his way to the bar and squeezed between two people to signal the bartender.

He'd just gotten his beer when the crowd seemed to part and he caught a flash of red. With his hopes riding high, he took a step back to get a better look and his heart began to pound as he saw her sitting at a small table in the back corner of the bar, her red jacket hanging on the back of her chair.

Taking a chance, he began to walk towards her. As he grew closer, she looked up and caught his eye. He could see the sparkle in hers when she recognized him and he took that as a good sign. By the time he'd made it to her table she was smiling at him as she played with the stem of her wine glass.

"May I sit?"

"Please do," she said in a voice that sounded like music to his ears.

"I'm Sam," he told her as he took the empty seat across from her. He didn't usually sit with his back to a room, but he was already too enamored with her to care about police procedure.

"YN," she replied as she took note of the logo on his shirt. "You're a police officer?"

Sam absentmindedly looked at the logo on his shirt before meeting her gaze again. "I'm the Sheriff in a small town in Montana. What about you? I noticed that you were at the AWP table, are you a writer?"

Her grin widened a bit. "Attention to detail – I would expect nothing less from an officer of the law. And to answer your question, yes, I am an author."

"I know this is going to sound strange," he began as he shook his head in confusion, "but I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

"My photo is on the dust jacket of all of my books, but I doubt you've ever read anything I've written," she said, laughing at a joke only she was privy to.

"Try me," he challenged as he took a sip of his beer.

"My latest novel was entitled 'Second Chances,'" she said with a questioning glance.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember where he'd heard that name before. After a few seconds, he figured it out, but he was even more confused than he was before. 

"Wait a second," he said as he held up a hand. "I know that book. . ."

"You're kidding me," she interrupted as her eyes grew large in disbelief.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he said with a smirk. "Half of my friends are women and they are obsessed with Sophie Devereaux. Either you lied to me about your real name or Sophie is your pen name."

YN began to laugh as she realized she'd been found out. "Yes, Sophie is my pen name. I wrote under that name when I first started and I decided I liked the anonymity of having a pseudonym, so I never changed it. I've got to admit, I've never had a man figure it out before."

Sam gave a self-satisfied smile as he leaned back in his chair. "I've got to admit, I prefer YN – it suits you better than Sophie."

"Why thank you, Sam," she said as her fingers continued to play with the stem of her wine glass. "It seems as though you have me at a disadvantage – you know my deepest secret, but I know next to nothing about you."

Sam gave a shrug as he thought about what he could tell her. "There's really not much to know about me. I grew up in a small town called Thousand Oaks, about 45 minutes outside of Missoula. I enlisted in the Air Force right after High School. Once my enlistment was up, I moved back home and became a Deputy Sheriff. I took night classes at the local community college and eventually earned my BA in Sociology with a Criminology Emphasis. The Sheriff that I'd grown up with, Thaddeus Ross, retired a few years later, so I ran for office and won by a landslide. I've been the Sheriff ever since."

YN had linked her fingers, resting her chin on her hands as she listened to him. "That sounds like the perfect beginning to a story. . ."

Sam's hands flew up as he began to shake his head. "Oh, no. You are not writing a romance novel about me."

She let out a deep, throaty laugh at his reaction to her statement. "Ok, fine, I won't make you a character in my next book. How about you buy me another glass of wine, instead?"

"That I can do," he said as he signaled a passing waiter. "I'll have another beer and a glass of whatever the lady is drinking."

Sam began to lose track of time as the drinks kept coming. As the night wore on, the bar began to get more crowded and Sam had to move his chair next to YN's in order to hear her above the din. Somehow his arm had ended up on the back of her chair as she rested a hand on his thigh to lean closer to say something to him. 

The alarm going off the next morning had him grimacing in pain as his head began to pound. He struggled to find his phone on the nightstand, only to realize that it was still in his pants pocket across the room.

Staggering out of the bed, he was shocked to find that he was naked, but attributed it to the copious amounts of alcohol he'd consumed the night before. Finally silencing the phone, he noticed a familiar red jacket laying on the floor next to his pants just as he heard a groan coming from the bed behind him.

His brain struggled to remember the events of the previous night, but the last thing he could recall was sitting in the bar with YN. He knew from the jacket on the floor that it must be her in his bed, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember how they'd gotten back to his room.

"What time is it?" she asked, her voice scratchy from sleep and too much wine.

"Just after seven," he replied as he grabbed his shirt to cover himself before he turned around.

"I've got a seminar to teach at 8:30," she complained as she rolled face first into the pillows, her hands outstretched on either side of her.

"About last night," he began.

She peeked up at him before grabbing the covers and peering underneath. "I'm going to assume that since we're both naked as the day we were born, that we got to know one another pretty well last night."

The grin on her face had relief washing over him. "I take it that last night is a bit fuzzy for you as well?"

She grabbed the sheet and pulled it close to her chest as she sat up, a mischievous grin on her face. "I've gotta say, I enjoyed the parts I can remember, and I'm a little disappointed that the end of the night is a complete. . ."

Her voice trailed off, the smile fading from her face as her gaze dropped to the shirt he was using to cover himself. Sam was instantly concerned, not knowing what had caused her to seem so dismayed.

"What's wrong, YN?" he asked as he followed her gaze downward. He immediately saw what had caught her attention and his eyes flew to the hand that was holding the sheet to her chest.

She quickly looked at her hand and her heart seemed to skip a beat as she realized that Sam wasn't the only one wearing a ring on the third finger of his left hand. "What the hell happened last night, Sam?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 2 of this story!  So, Sam’s love interest is none other than the famous romance author, Sophie Devereaux! What did you think of that revelation? Then we had that twist at the end! How do you think they’re going to handle that situation? I look forward to your comments!_


	3. Chapter 3

"I think we got married," Sam said with a look of disbelief on his face. "How did we end up married?"

With a huff, YN gathered the sheet tighter around her and sprang to her feet. "You don't think it's actually for real, do you?"

Sam raised an eyebrow in lieu of an answer.

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "It's Vegas and people get married in drive-thru's down here all of the time." The weightiness of the situation finally settled in on her shoulders and she sank to the bed once again. "What are we going to do?" She looked up at Sam in despair. "I mean, it's obvious we have to do something."

Sam wanted to go to her and comfort her, but since he was still standing buck naked in the middle of the room with only a shirt to keep him modest, he opted to stay where he was. "Somehow I have a feeling it's a bit harder to get a divorce here than it is to get married, but we'll figure it out."

She looked from him to the pile of clothes on the floor. "I can't believe I have to do the walk of shame at my age. I truly thought I'd left those days behind me after college."

"Is it technically a walk of shame if you're married to the guy you spent the night with?" Sam asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Not helping, Sam," she said as she lobbed a pillow at him.

Reflex had him reaching up to grab the pillow, and as he did, the shirt fell from his hands. He had a brief moment of panic as he realized that he was yet again completely naked. He quickly pulled the pillow down in front of his crotch as YN began to giggle at his predicament.

"Well, that's one way to lighten the mood," he joked.

"I'm sorry," she said as she stood up and began to gather her clothes from around the room. "We both have busy days today, and I should let you get dressed. Let's plan to meet up after our sessions are over and we can figure out what to do from there."

"I'll try to Google some information on annulments and divorces during my seminar this morning," he said as he waited for her to go into the bathroom.

She stood in the doorway, her clothes in one hand as she held up the sheet with the other. "Good idea."

When the door clicked shut, Sam was finally able to take a deep breath. It felt as though he'd been standing naked in the middle of the room for ages. Not wanting to risk it again, he quickly pulled on his pants and began to gather up the rest of his clothes.

He heard the bathroom door open and watched as YN emerged. She had opted not to put on the red jacket, so except for the fact that her clothes were a little wrinkled, it really didn't look like she was wearing the same outfit that she had been yesterday.

"I'm not really sure what to say right now," she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Me either," he admitted with a smile. "It feels weird to just say goodbye, but saying 'I'll see you later' makes it sound like we know each other better than we do."

She let out a relieved sigh and began to laugh. "You'd think with all of my vast knowledge of romance, I'd have a better idea of how to handle this situation."

"There's a huge difference between fiction and reality, and nothing you read in a book can truly prepare you for the real thing."

She gave him an astonished look. "That's some sage advice there, Sam. I'll have to tuck that little gem away to use in one of my books someday."

The grin that lit up his face had her remembering why she'd been so attracted to him yesterday. There was something about him when he smiled that made her feel like she'd known him all of her life. She couldn't put her finger on why she felt like that, but seeing that grin made her feel less like a cliché for waking up married to stranger in Vegas after a night of heavy drinking.

"You'd better get back to your room and get ready," he told her as he began leading her toward the door. "Try not to worry – we'll figure it out."

* * *

 

Sam sat in his seminar and struggled to pay attention to the speaker. Today's session was on Disaster Preparedness and it was a topic he should have been paying attention to, but all he could think about was YN.

He'd spent a good twenty minutes scouring the internet for information on quick divorces or annulments in Vegas and he'd found a website that seemed promising. Many of the sites he'd found had required someone to be a resident of Nevada for six weeks before they could be granted a divorce, and that just wasn't an option for either him or YN.

When he'd found one that promised a free consultation and an annulment without being a resident, he'd breathed a sigh of relief. Scrolling through the site, he found a few reviews from previous clients who had nothing but praise for the attorney and his ability to get their marriages annulled in about four days.

He should have been relieved that this situation could be resolved so easily, but there was a part of him that didn't want things to end so quickly with her. They'd only known each other less than that 24 hours and most of the time they'd spent together had been when they were blackout drunk, but there was something about her that kept her in the forefront his thoughts.

As the speaker continued to go through his PowerPoint, Sam's mind kept drifting back to yesterday when he'd first spotted her. He thought of the way she'd looked away from him when he'd smiled at her, and he couldn't help but smile again as he remembered the moment their eyes had met. It was as though a bolt of lightning had hit him when she first turned around and he realized that he still felt that way every time she looked at him.

Their time in the bar had been proof that she felt the same way about him as he did about her. Once they'd started talking, she'd begun to flirt with him and he became more captivated by her with every passing minute. If he hadn't already known she was a writer, he would have probably figured it out simply by the way she spoke. She had a way of putting words together that made everything sound like poetry, or maybe he was just so smitten with her that he thought everything she said was perfect. Either way, she had completely taken over his mind and he was helpless to think of anything else but her.

* * *

 

YN was struggling to teach her workshop on Character Development. When she'd first accepted the offer to teach a seminar at AWP, she'd been so excited to share some of tips and tricks she'd learned about writing over the years to the upcoming generation of writers. Now it was as though she was stuck inside of one of her books and she had no idea what she should do next.

Looking around the room of unfamiliar faces, she could tell that she was starting to lose them. She could barely string two words together and she kept losing her train of thought. Desperate not to fail miserably, she racked her brain for some seed of inspiration. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what she would have one of her characters do and that's when it hit her.

"We're going to play a little game," she told the group, grabbing their attention as they sat up a little straighter. "We're going to actually create a character and flesh out all of the important details that will make her seem real to the reader."

She saw a few eyes light up at the idea, and she knew that she was on to something.

"Okay," she said as she grabbed a dry erase marker and wrote "Female Protagonist" on the center of the board behind her. "Our main character is going to be female, and since we're in Las Vegas, we're going to give her a conflict that will fit in with her surroundings."

She began to draw lines around Female Protagonist and then wrote "Met a Guy" and out from that "Got Drunk and Woke Up Married." She heard a few snickers behind her, and for a moment, embarrassment washed over her. Was it really the best idea to be using her life as a teachable moment? Shaking her head, she argued with herself that her real life was all she could think about right now, so she might as well use it to get her through the day.

"We have a character and we have a conflict. What else do we need?"

A few hands shot up and she randomly called on a young man in his mid-20's. "Give me an idea."

"We need to know why she's in Vegas," he suggested.

"Wonderful," she said as she began to write on the board again. "We'll say that she's attending the AWP conference.

Turning back she called on another person who suggested that they needed to know more about the guy she'd met. Nodding her head she asked if anyone had noticed that there was also a Law Enforcement conference going on at the same time as theirs. She noticed a few grins and eyebrow wiggles from the ladies in the group. Taking that as a good sign, she wrote it on the board.

By the time the session had ended, her class had helped her create a character that was both flawed and relatable, not realizing that she had guided them into outlining her own character traits. She took a step back from the board and looked at her life written out in her familiar handwriting. She'd been pleasantly surprised to learn that her group seemed to love the character and were anxious to come back tomorrow to delve into ways to solve her conflict. She knew how the story should play out, but she was also curious to see what ideas they might have and if any of them were worth trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 3 of this story!  It seems as though each of them are hesitant to put an end to their impromptu marriage. What do you think they’ll end up doing? Did you like how the Reader used her own life in the seminar? Do you think her group will help her see things in a new light?  I look forward to your comments!_


	4. Chapter 4

Sam was waiting for her outside of the conference room, one leg crossed over the other at the ankle as he leaned back against the wall. YN was surprised to see him, and she couldn't help but notice the admiring glances from some of the ladies who'd just exited her seminar. She took a moment to take an objective step back to see what they saw. Sam was the kind of man that exuded confidence, even when he wasn't trying. He was also a cop, through and through. At first glance, he appeared to be relaxed and even a bit distracted, but if you paid close enough attention, you could see his eyes dart up from his phone every few seconds to scan his surroundings. His body was like a tightly coiled spring – ready to jump into action at a moment's notice.

When he spotted her, he put his phone away and dazzled her with that seductive smile of his. The slight gap between his two front teeth would cause some to say that his smile was flawed, but she thought it added just enough charm to make him seem real. All too often in fiction, a writer would create a character that was too perfect, too good to be true, and she knew that she was guilty of it from time to time. It was easy to give your characters flaws in their personalities, but most readers wanted to imagine that the characters were unrealistic physical specimens. Real people had flaws, but it didn't necessarily mean that it spoiled their overall attractiveness – you just had to find a way to make it seem endearing.

She realized that she was still in "writer mode," and forced herself to come back to reality.

"Hi," she said.

His smile seemed to grow brighter somehow. "Hi."

"Well, this is still awkward," she said with a laugh.

He unconsciously placed a hand on the small of her back as he began to lead her toward the main part of the hotel. "At least we can be honest about it and not try to ignore the fact."

"True," she agreed. "Did you have any luck finding a solution to our problem?"

"I think I did," he began. "I found an attorney. . ."

She stopped, turning to face him as she grabbed his arm. Looking around at the people still in the hallway, she was relieved to see that there wasn't anyone that she knew. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but maybe this isn't the best place. Let's go back to my suite and talk about this in private."

Sam gave the crowd a cursory glance and nodded his head in agreement. "Good idea. I doubt anyone here will care about me, but you're pretty well known in your circle and I'd hate for you to suffer any embarrassment professionally."

"Thank you," she said, genuinely surprised that he would understand her point of view so quickly. She filed the information away with all of the other little revelations she'd discovered about him in the past 24 hours.

Once they'd reached the casino, she pointed toward the main bank of elevators and he began to weave his way through the crowd, his hand firmly on the small of her back to keep her by his side. She should have been insulted by his possessiveness, but she found that she enjoyed knowing that he was looking out for her. Maybe it was because she knew he was a sheriff and it was his job to look out for others, but she knew it was more than that. She may not want to admit it to herself, but she knew she liked it because it meant that he was focused completely on her and making sure that she was as close to him as possible in the crush of people.

The elevator was full, but Sam had managed to wedge himself into the back corner with her right in front of him. She turned slightly and could see him continually scanning the crowd. A wry grin spread across her face as she watched him survey his surroundings.

"Do you ever turn it off?" she asked as they exited the elevator and walked toward her suite.

He gave her a confused look as he followed her down the empty hallway. "Turn what off?"

"Cop mode," she said. "You're constantly scanning the room, looking at everything and everybody."

He scratched the back of his head as he considered her words. "It's force of habit, I guess. We were taught to always be aware of our surroundings in basic training and that carried over with the Sheriff's Department. I don't even realize I'm doing it."

"Wait," she said, drawing up short outside of her room. "You mentioned something about the Air Force last night, didn't you?"

His brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "Most of last night is still a blur, but yeah, I spent four years in the Air Force – Pararescue."

She slid her key card into the slot and opened the door. "Wow, I'm impressed. Why'd you get out?"

YN watched as his eyes grew dark and she knew she was about to hear something that she didn't want know. He walked through the living area, casually picking up the various bric a brac that was artfully scattered across the tables.

"The war got to be too much. After a few tours, I was ready to come home," he finally said, turning back to look at her.

She knew she should let the subject go, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Did you lose someone?"

"My wingman, Riley" Sam replied. "Flying a night mission. A standard PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before, till an RPG knocked Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"After that," Sam continued. "I had a really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?"

She walked over to him and laid her hand on his arm. "I can't even imagine how hard that must have been for you."

His hand came up to cover hers as he gave her a halfhearted grin. "It was tough for a while, but then Sheriff Ross took me under his wing and gave me a purpose. I'd never really been cut out for the ranching life and he knew it. Said that my military training would be put to better use in law enforcement than herding cattle for the rest of my life. He wasn't always the most popular guy, but I'm glad I took his advice."

Giving his arm a reassuring squeeze, she made her way over to the mini bar. "Would you like something to drink?"

"I'd love a cold beer, but after last night, it's probably best if we stay sober tonight. I'll have a bottle of water, please."

She chuckled, realizing that he was right. "I have to agree with you there. If we start drinking, we may wake up tomorrow morning to find out we've joined a traveling circus."

He took the bottle of water she handed him and sat down in one of the chairs. "We should probably figure out how to get out of this mess before we get into any more trouble."

She chose to sit on the couch opposite him, slipping off her shoes and tucking her feet up under her. "So, what did you find out?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to find the webpage. "There's an attorney here in town that offers a free consultation and according to the site, he should be able to get the marriage annulled before we leave at the end of the week."

This should have been good news, but YN couldn't quite work up enough enthusiasm to actually be happy at the prospect of never seeing Sam again. Plastering a fake smile on her face she asked, "What do we need to do to get things started?"

"I'll call in the morning and set up an appointment. I may have to miss a session, but it shouldn't be a problem."

"I hate for you to miss a session that you're paying for," she said with a frown. "But it'll be easier to take care of this here before we leave."

"I agree," he said as he looked at his watch. "There's nothing else to be done today. I'm starving. What do you say about having dinner with me tonight?"

She gave him a suspicious smile. "After what happened last night, you're ready to spend another evening with me?"

He flashed her that heart stopping smile again. "We obviously liked one another enough last night to get married. The least we can do is spend some time together and figure out why."

As he was rising, his phone pinged and he looked down at the screen to read the incoming text. She noticed the hard set of his jaw and how his brow knitted together, and she knew that it wasn't something good.

"What's the matter?"

He looked back up at her and in an instant, his features had settled back into his normal, carefree expression. "Nothing."

"Sam," she said, raising her eyebrows in question. "I know we don't know one another that well, but I can tell that something is bothering you."

He shook his head and looked back down at his phone. "I just got a text from one of my deputies. Apparently someone decided to slash all of the tires on my patrol car while I was gone."

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "Who would do that, and why?"

He waved off her concern with a smile. "It's probably just a bunch of stupid kids blowing off some steam after a football game. Trip's got it under control, he just wanted to let me know what was going on."

"Trip? You have a deputy named Trip?"

"His real name is Triplet, Antione Triplett," Sam explained, "but we all call him Trip. He's a good guy and I trust him when he says it's taken care of. The boys will start bragging to their friends, and then someone will turn them in. Case closed."

"Okay," she said, still not convinced that it was something as simple as that.

 

They chose to venture out onto the Strip to find somewhere to eat and by the time they were halfway through dinner, Sam knew exactly why he'd married her. She was smart and funny and they had more in common than he would've originally thought. Even though she lived in Dayton, Ohio, she grew up riding horses on her grandparents' farm and loved spending time outdoors. Sam wanted to take her back to Montana to show her his town. He just knew that she would love taking a ride through Wolf Creek, South Hills, and Blackwater Falls.

By the time they'd made it back to the MGM Grand, Sam was reluctant to end the evening with her. He rode up in the elevator with her, using the excuse that he wanted to make sure she got back to her room safely, but he knew he just wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

"Thank you again for dinner," she said as she fidgeted with the key card.

"My pleasure," he told her as he desperately tried to think of something to say to prolong the moment.

She looked up at him and her stomach did a flip. Those sexy brown eyes had a longing look in them that she knew was mirrored in her own. She debated with herself whether this was a road they needed to go down, but they'd already gotten married, so what was the worst that could happen?

Making up her mind, she took a small step toward him. He gave her a questioning look as she laid her hand on his arm. Before she could make a move, his lips had captured hers in a kiss that had sparks shooting through her. Her mind began to swim and she knew that in a few moments, she wouldn't care where they were or who happened to walk past and see them. Grabbing the back of his neck, she pulled him toward the door as she struggled to insert the key card behind her back. When she heard the locks click, she pushed the door open and drug him inside the room with her.

Once the door had shut, Sam turned her around and pressed her up against its hard surface as his mouth left her lips and began trailing over her jaw and down the side of her neck. With his mouth setting her skin on fire, she needed something to distract herself before she became a puddle at his feet. She slipped her hands under the hem of his shirt and found the rock hard muscles of his abdomen. He inhaled sharply as her fingers trailed up and over the ridges and valleys of his torso.

Sam took a step back and in one quick motion, he'd pulled his shirt over his head. He didn't give her a chance to admire the view of his naked chest before he was pressed up against her again. 

She was dizzy with desire as his tongue tangled with hers and his hands began to slide down her back. Before she knew what he was doing, his hands cupped the back of her thighs as he hoisted her up. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as he turned and began heading toward the bedroom. She knew this was probably a bad idea, but she was too far gone to think of the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 4 of this story! Do you think they’ll go through with the annulment? Do you think giving in to their desires at the end will change their minds? I look forward to your comments!_


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of a phone alarm had YN jolting awake.  This was the second morning in a row that her sleep had been interrupted by the sound.  She preferred to use the vibrating alarm on her Fitbit than to be forced into consciousness by her phone.

Once her heart had stopped racing in her chest, she rolled over to watch as Sam desperately tried to find his phone in the pile of clothes in the middle of the floor.  She had to admit that the view was especially nice as she admired his taut backside and thick thighs.

For just a moment, she allowed herself to replay the highlights of the previous night.  She was so glad they'd opted not to drink so that she could fully appreciate just how talented he was with his hands and mouth.  She could feel heat start to rise within her as she remembered some of the more risqué portions of the night.

"Morning," he said, drawing her out of her increasingly x-rated thoughts.

She gave him a sheepish smile and he gave her a wink, somehow knowing where her mind had been.  If she had to venture a guess, she was almost positive that he'd been thinking along the same lines as her.

"Hi," she finally said as she began to rise from the bed.  She didn't care that she was completely naked, and, apparently, neither did he since he hadn't bothered,.. to try to cover himself this morning.

She walked toward him and gave him a light kiss before turning toward the bathroom.  "I need to grab a shower before I head to class."

Sam was at a loss as he watched her walk away from him.  It wasn't until she stopped and gave him a sultry look over his shoulder that he finally caught on.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

Not wanting to waste another second, Sam hurried across the room and scooped her up into his arms as he slipped into the bathroom.

 

Sam had left to grab a change of clothes in his room after their quickie in the shower and YN was finding it hard to keep the goofy grin off of her face.  It had been a while since she'd been involved romantically with someone and although the circumstances were completely crazy, she had to admit that she was enjoying every second of this wild adventure.

She grabbed her bag and headed toward the elevators as she thought about her upcoming class.  The more she got to know Sam, the more she realized that she didn't want their fling to end.  She wondered what her students would suggest this morning, and she secretly hoped that they would push for her and Sam to stay together.  She had no idea how it could possibly work, or if Sam even wanted to pursue the relationship, but she'd never know if she didn't say something.  If he turned her down, then that was that – she'd never see him again, and she'd chalk the experience up to a lapse in judgement.  But what if he said yes?

She walked into the small conference room to find all of her students eagerly awaiting her arrival.  Most conferences she'd been to had seen participants waiting until the last possible second to arrive, so the fact that they were there before her reassured her that she'd done something right the day before.

"Good morning," she began as she grabbed the dry erase marker from the tray and pulled off the cap.  "Yesterday we worked on creating our main protagonist, and now we need to work on brainstorming some ways to solve her conflict."

A hand timidly raised in the back of the room and YN gave the young girl with the horn-rimmed glasses a smile before she called on her.  "Give me a suggestion."

"Well," the young lady began, her voice wavering as she spoke.  "I think we did a good job creating the female protagonist, but I think that the male character is a little one dimensional right now.  Maybe we should develop his character a bit more before we can come up with possible solutions to their conflict."

YN's smile grew wider as she realized the girl was absolutely right.  She knew Sam's personality, but her students didn't.  Now she faced the challenge of guiding them into creating a character that reflected the real man in her life right now.

"That's a great point," she told the girl.  "Thank you for bringing that up.  Right now, all we know about him is that he's attending the Law Enforcement conference next door and that he drunkenly married our main character.  Let's spend a few minutes bringing him to life."

She spent the next twenty minutes carefully guiding her students into creating the male character as a reflection of Sam.  Other than their suggestion to have him living in Wyoming instead of Montana and being in the Army, she'd done a fairly decent job of steering them in the right direction. 

"I think this looks good," she said as she stepped away from the board.  "What do you guys think?  Any other suggestions?"

The same girl from before timidly raised her hand again.  "We mentioned that he was in the Army, but I think we need to add to that.  What if we say he'd been deployed to Afghanistan and suffered some sort of trauma that caused him to develop PTSD?"

YN almost dropped the marker as she thought back to the conversation she'd had with Sam the night before.  She remembered his story about Riley's death and realized that he must have suffered some sort of PTSD after that incident.  He did a good job of putting on a smile, but looking back, she could see how much his friend's death still affected him.  She didn't have time to dwell on that possibility now, but she filed it away to think about later.

"Another great idea.  Thank you."  

She added PTSD to the board and turned back to the class.  "Now for the fun part.  Where do we take our couple next?"

Some of the ideas they came up with were completely ridiculous.  One woman had suggested that they'd inadvertently purchased wedding bands that were made out of a rare metal and they were now being chased by an evil madman who planned to use that metal to build an army to destroy the world.  Another person had posed the idea that the male protagonist was part of a secret organization that worked behind the scenes to save the world from aliens and now the writer had to learn to fight by her new husband's side in this elite group of superheroes.  It wasn't until she'd come back to the timid lady in the back that they'd found the solution to their problem.

The class had given everyone a chance to voice their suggestions, but once the girl in the glasses offered her opinion, they'd wholeheartedly agreed that she had the best idea.  She had suggested that the two protagonists stay married and move back to Wyoming to give their relationship a chance.  She posed the idea of another conflict to test their relationship, but time had run out before the class could come up with any ideas.

YN slowly packed up her things as she stared at the words on the board.  Was she crazy to even consider the idea of going back to Montana with Sam?  They'd only known each other for a few days and although the sex was amazing, was it enough for her to completely uproot her life to see if this relationship could last?

The sound of the door shutting finally brought her back to reality and she turned to see Sam standing at the back of the room, his eyes large as he read what she'd written on the board.

In a panic, she rushed back to grab his arms, scared that he would bolt from the room before she had a chance to explain.  "I know how this looks, and I'm sorry for exposing you like this, but I was at a loss yesterday and I couldn't think of any other way to deal with our situation and teach my class.  My students have no idea that this project is really about us.  Please don't be too mad at me."

Sam hadn't looked at her yet and the room seemed to start spinning as she thought about him walking away from her now.  She hadn't realized that she'd made up her mind about him until the possibility of losing him forever had surfaced.

"Who's idea was it for the girl to move back with him?" he asked as he finally met her gaze.

"One of the girls in my class," she admitted.  "It's crazy, right?"

Sam looked back at the board and YN could see the indecision in his eyes.  "Do you think it's crazy?"

She shook her head as she began to laugh.  "It's the craziest idea in the world, but for some reason, I think I want to do it."

He looked back down at her, his expression unreadable as he studied her face.  A smile began to slowly lift the corners of his mouth as he leaned in to kiss her.  "I guess I need to cancel the appointment with lawyer I made for tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 5 of this story! What did you think of the possible scenarios her class came up with? Any of them sound familiar? Do you think she’s crazy to even think about going back to Montana with him? I look forward to your comments!_


	6. Chapter 6

Once they'd left the conference area and made it back to her suite, they began to work out the details.  Her part of the conference was over tomorrow, and although she'd originally planned to stay for the final keynote speaker, she and Sam decided it would be best if she went back to Dayton to pack her things and set up a service to take care of her house.  Both of them knew it would be foolish for her to put it on the market until they were absolutely sure that they could make things work between them.  

She was glad she was going to have a few days to get things settled in Dayton, and to have a chance to break the news to her friends.  He still had a few days left of his conference, so she would wait until Saturday morning to fly to Missoula.  This would also give him some time to prepare his friends for her arrival.  They were both ready to deal with the shock and confusion their decision would bring from the ones they loved, but once the idea had taken root, they became more and more excited to start this new adventure together.

They'd opted to stay in and order room service for the next two nights, not wanting to waste any of their remaining time together dealing with the crowds of people in the city.  They spent hours making love – desperate to create as many memories as they could to tide them over until they could be together again.  

She'd booked flight at six on Wednesday morning so that Sam could see her off at the airport, and as the time drew closer for her to leave, she began to dread the next few days she'd spend without him.

"We're both completely crazy, right?" Sam asked as they stood in line at the check-in counter in the airport.

"I know I'm crazy about you," she answered, leaning in for a quick kiss.  "But I also know that our friends aren't going to be okay with this at first.  We just need to ignore the naysayers and focus on us."

"You do realize that you're going to have it worse than me, right?" he asked.  "I don't have to deal with your friends right away, but you'll be surrounded my mine within the first twenty-four hours."

"From what you told me about them, I have a feeling I'll get along with them – especially the ladies who are fans of my books."

"True, true," he conceded.  "The guys will tease you unmercifully, but that's just how they show affection.  Once they see how happy you make me, they'll warm up to the idea.  I'm just glad I'm going to have a day to prepare them for the news."

"Don't worry too much, Sam," she told him as she walked up to the agent.  "We're grown adults and we're allowed to make our own decisions without consulting our friends.  They'll get over it."

He didn't answer as he placed her suitcase on the scale and waited for the agent to print out her boarding pass.  They walked in silence to the security check point, pausing just short of the guard to say their final farewells.

"Text me as soon as you land," he told her as he pulled her into his arms.  "I'll call as soon as I'm finished with classes for the day."

She'd laid her head on his shoulder as they embraced, but after a moment, she'd raised her head and gave him one last kiss.  She knew that people were probably staring, but she didn't care how it looked – she wanted this kiss to be one that they'd both remember and look forward to continuing in a few days.

 

The flight back to Dayton was uneventful, with only one connecting flight in Chicago.  YN had been flying all over the country for years doing book tours and conferences, so airports were like a second home to her.  

This time was different, though.  She had lived in Dayton for years, but it wasn't truly home – it was more of stopping point along the way in her life.  She had a beautiful house in a suburb just outside of the city, and she'd spent a good portion of her time sitting in the sunroom overlooking the small pond in her backyard while she wrote her next bestseller.  She'd told Sam that it made more sense for her to go to Montana, since she could write anywhere.  It also didn't seem fair to make him quit his job and leave all of his friends behind.  Her friends were used to her coming and going, and although they would miss her, she didn't really have roots in Ohio.

Once the plane touched down at Dayton International and the captain had cleared them to turn on their electronic devices, she shot a quick text to Sam to let him know she'd arrived safely.  She then spent the next forty-five minutes disembarking the plane and weaving her way through the crowded terminals to the baggage claim.  

Over the years, she'd found it easier to leave a car in the long-term lot rather than take a cab or depend on someone else to pick her up.  There had been trips that had completely exhausted her, but she found that the quiet drive back to her house helped to calm her nerves.

She hadn't told any of her friends that she was flying back early, so she took the afternoon to begin making arrangements to be gone for an unspecified amount of time.  She had used the time on the airplane to make a list of things that she needed to do before she left.  Sam had given her his address in Montana, so the first order of business was to have all of her mail forwarded.  

Most of the items on her list couldn't be completed until Friday or Saturday.  She would have to clean out the refrigerator and pantry, but that couldn't be done until last since she still had to eat for the next few days.  The water also need to be turned off and the thermostat set to a lower temperature, but again, that would have to wait until Saturday morning.  The only thing she could really do today was start going through her clothes and begin packing.

Checking the prices for both the airlines and UPS, she found that it would be cheaper to ship her clothes in boxes than to check extra bags at the airport.  She'd stopped at the local office supply store on her way home and purchased a some cardboard boxes and she was in the process of filling the third one when her phone began to ring.

A smile lit up her face when she saw his name flash across the screen.  "Hello?"

"Hey, gorgeous," Sam said.

She stretched out across her bed as she closed her eyes and brought up a mental image of him.  "How were classes today?"

"Horrible since I knew I wasn't going to see you afterward."

She laughed as she thought about the lonely nights looming ahead of her.  "I know what you mean.  I miss you already, and it's only Wednesday.  I don't know how we're going to make it until Saturday."

"We'll talk and text everyday," he told her.  "It won't be the same, but once we're in Montana together, it'll make this short separation all worth it."

"You're right," she agreed.

"Have you called your friends yet?"

"No.  I'm going to wait until tomorrow to talk to them.  We'd all planned to go out to dinner after I got back from Vegas, so there's no reason to let them know I came back a day early."

"You'll call me as soon as you get back home tomorrow, right?" he asked.  "I want to know what they say when they hear the news."

"Trust me," she told him, "I'll need to call you afterward if they react like I think they will."

They spent the next hour talking about anything and everything, just wanting to hear the sound of the other's voice.  Eventually, they'd said their goodbyes, promising to talk again in the morning before Sam started another day of classes.

 

"You did what?" YN's friend Tamar yelled from across the table in the crowded restaurant.

YN looked around to see some of the other diners glaring at them.  She hushed her friend and repeated herself.  "I said I got married in Vegas."

Beside her, her friend Kalila was staring at her with her mouth hanging open.  Composing herself, she gave YN a confused look.  "I don't understand.  You've haven't been seeing anyone lately.  Who did you marry?"

The waiter chose that moment to deliver the salads they'd ordered as an appetizer for their meal.  The four women waited patiently for the man to leave before they continued their conversation.

YN took a deep breath and started telling them about Sam.  She told them about how her eyes had met Sam's across the room and it was as though time had stood still for a moment.  Kalila, the ever-hopeful romantic, actually sighed when she got to that part.  At least YN would have one of her friends in her corner.  She'd yet to hear Fia's opinion on her new relationship status, but she knew her friend liked to have all of the facts before she made a judgement.  That was the trial attorney in her.  She was surprised that Tamar and Kalila let her get through the whole story without interrupting, but once she finished telling it, she understood why.

"That's it?" Tamar asked.  "You meet a guy, get drunk, wake up married, and now you're moving to Missouri?"

"Montana," YN corrected as she took a bite of her salad.  "It sounds crazy, and both Sam and I realize that, but I'm not getting any younger, and he and I get along so well.  Why not give it a shot and see where it goes?"

"Because he might be a serial killer," Fia interjected as if it were the most logical conclusion.

"You think everyone is a serial killer, Fia," Kalila chastised her friend.  "Plus, he's a sheriff, so I doubt he's a cold-blooded murderer."

Fia speared a cherry tomato from her salad with her fork and pointed it menacingly at Kalila.  "Being a sheriff is the perfect cover.  Just think about it – he's been trained by both the military and the police academy.  Who would be better at hiding bodies than a law enforcement officer?  I bet he goes to Missoula on the weekends and enacts his sick fantasies."  

"Enough," YN said, causing her three friends to look at her in alarm.  "I understand that you guys are worried, and to be honest, I am, too.  I'm uprooting my entire life and moving halfway across the county for a guy I barely know, but what's the worst that can happen?  I'm not selling my house, so if it doesn't work out, I'll just come back to Dayton and chalk it all up as a misadventure."

"How long do you think you'll stay out there?" Kalila asked as she finished her salad.

YN put down her fork and thought about the question.  "I'm going out there with the hope of making this relationship work, so right now, I'm planning to stay indefinitely.  But who knows?  We could live together for a week and realize that what we had in Vegas was just a fling and I'll be home next Saturday.  The thing is, I won't know unless I try."

Tamar reached over and laid her hand over YN's.  "From what you've told us about him, he seems like a great guy.  I want you to be happy – we all want you to be happy – so if Sam makes you happy, then you have to give it a shot."

YN had Kalila and Tamar in her corner, now all she needed was Fia's blessing.  She knew she really didn't need her friend's approval, but it would help ease her worries if she knew that her friends were supporting her decision.  She glanced over at Fia and gave her a questioning look.

Fia shook her head in defeat.  "You're a hardheaded woman, YN.  And you've written too many romance novels, in my opinion.  You seem like you understand the consequences of your actions, and it's pointless for me to try to talk you out of it.  I just hope this doesn't blow up in your face."

YN thought about Fia's words.  Had she spent too much time in the world of literature?  Did she even understand how real relationships were supposed to work?  She thought about her grandparents.  She'd spent her summers on their farm, learning how to ride and take care of their horses.  Her grandmother had told the story of how she met her grandfather a thousand times.  Her grandmother had been a nurse stationed in France during WWII and her grandfather had gotten shot in battle.  He'd spent a few days in the hospital recovering and the two of them had fallen in love.  When he'd been shipped back to the states, she followed him home and married him immediately.  They'd been married for over fifty years and were as much in love today as they were back in 1946.  Their story wasn't that much different from hers and Sam's, so if it had worked out for her grandparents, why couldn't it work out for her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 6 of this story! What did you think of her friends? They seem skeptical, but also supportive. How do you think Sam’s friends are going to react once he tells them what happened in Vegas? I look forward to your comments!_


	7. Chapter 7

YN had called Sam on the drive back to her house.  She'd given him a play-by-play account of what everyone had said.  When she mentioned Fia's theory that he might be a serial killer, he burst out laughing and it took him a few moments to regain his composure.

"She's got a good point," he finally said once he'd stopped laughing.  "What kind of law did you say she practiced?"

"She's a prosecuting attorney for Montgomery County," YN told him.  "She's seen a lot of weirdos come through the system, so she's become a bit cynical."

"I can promise you that I'm not a serial killer."

"I never thought you were," YN assured him as she pulled into her garage.

She turned off the car and the call transferred back to her phone.  She slipped off her shoes and carried them in one hand as she held the phone to her ear with the other.  Their conversation moved away from her friends and on to her progress with packing.  She told him that she'd went to the local dollar stores and bought all of the flat sheets they had so she could start draping the furniture.  As she walked through the house, she couldn't help the eerie sensation that came over her at seeing all of the unrecognizable shapes shrouded in drop cloths.  She'd been so busy packing and covering the furniture that it hadn't hit her until just now that she was really doing this – in two days she would be leaving behind everything that she knew to live in a new place, surrounded by strangers, all for a man she'd only met five days ago. 

She brought her attention back to her conversation with Sam and focused on the sound of his voice.  Listening to him tell her about the events of his day grounded her, and as she began to laugh at one of his stories, she remembered why she was doing this.  This man – this smart, funny, sexy man – had completely turned her life upside down.  And while everything around her right now was a whirlwind, she couldn't help but be swept away – and she was enjoying every second of it.

 

While YN was busy packing up and readying her house for her departure, Sam was stuck sitting through boring lectures as he waited until Friday to finally arrive so he could head home.  He'd been looking forward to this conference for months, and when he'd gotten a copy of the itinerary, he'd originally been thrilled with the course offerings. 

But that was before YN. 

Now he was impatient to leave Las Vegas.  He was worried about how his friends would react to the news, but he was sure that once they met her, they'd be on board with the idea.  At least he was positive that the ladies would take to her immediately – they'd obsessed over _Sophie's_ books for years.  He knew that Bucky and Peter would ride him hard about the whole cliché of waking up married to a stranger in Vegas, but thankfully he had Steve.  While Steve may not be happy about the arrangement, he'd go out of his way to make YN feel welcome, and he wouldn't be too hard on Sam for getting into this situation in the first place.

As it stood, he spent the last few days of the conference willing time to move faster so that he could finally see her again.  When Friday did roll around, he was quick to pack his bag and make sure he sat at the back of the auditorium so he could be one of the first out of the door. 

The keynote speaker seemed to drone on and on as Sam kept checking the time on his phone.  The conference was supposed to end around one, and he had a four o'clock flight back to Missoula.  With the time zone change, he'd land around seven that evening.  He figured he'd make it to Peter's house by eight, and he hoped that they weren't too drunk so he could explain things before YN landed at one on Saturday.

 

As Sam sat in his truck outside of Peter's house, he kept going over what he planned to say to his friends.  He'd worked on his speech during the entire trip from Missoula back to Thousand Oaks and he thought he'd figured out the best way to break the news to his friends.  Steeling his nerves, he hopped out of the truck and made his way inside the house. 

As soon as he opened the front door, he heard the familiar sounds of his friends arguing and bantering back and forth and he could tell they'd all had a few too many beers already. 

This was going to be fun.

He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the door frame.  No one had noticed him yet, so he took a moment to survey the room.

He saw right off that Bucky wasn't there and then he remembered that Kieran had come into town last weekend, so it was Bucky's turn to travel to Missoula to see her.  At least he wouldn't have to deal with him tonight.  Other than Buck, it seemed as though everyone else was there.

He hadn't been there more than a minute when Nat's piercing green eyes zeroed in on him.

"Look what the cat dragged home," she said with her signature smirk.

All at once, everyone's was centered on him.  He gave them all a warm smile as he walked in and took his normal seat at the poker table.

"What have I missed?" Sam asked.  He saw Nat's smirk fall from her face as her eyes shot to his.

"I think the more important question is: What have we missed, Sam Wilson?" Nat asked in disbelief as she stared at his hand.

Everyone gave Nat a confused look and then turned to Sam for an explanation.

Sam shook his head as he glared at Nat.  "I had this whole speech worked out, but I should have known you'd notice and call me out on it."

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked as something in his lap started making a high pitched mewing sound.

Sam cocked his head as he tried to figure out what kind of creature Peter had adopted this time.  "What was that?"

With a huge smile Peter lifted the small creature up to show Sam.  "It's a baby raccoon.  His mama was roadkill, and this little guy was all alone, so I brought him home.  I'm calling him Rocket."

"Man," Sam said with an exasperated look.  "You collect the weirdest pets.  First it was a Venus Flytrap. . ."

"Don't make fun of Groot," Peter warned as he stroked the tiny animal in his hands.  "So I don't like cats and dogs, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that raccoons carry rabies," Rowan interjected.  "We've been over this already Peter."

"Rabies shmabeis," Peter said, completely dismissing her concern.  "I'll take him to the vet in the morning if it makes y'all happy, but we've gotten off topic.  Apparently, there's something that Sam needs to tell us and I think he's try to distract us."

And just like that, the attention of the room was back on Sam.  He could feel the eyes of his friends boring into him as he began to sweat.  Deep down he knew that their opinion didn't matter, but he also wanted his friends to like YN and if he didn't do a good job of explaining the situation now, it would make it that much harder for her tomorrow.

"Okay," he began as he grabbed Peter's beer and took a long swig.  "I met a woman while I was in Vegas."

Steve slapped him on the shoulder.  "That's great, man."

Scott took a drink and then pointed the bottle at Sam questioningly.  "I agree with Steve, good for you, but I'm a little curious as to how Nat knew that just by looking at you."

There was a chorus of agreement as everyone stared at Sam again.  He could tell that they were all looking for some obvious sign that they had missed, but since his left hand was sitting in his lap, they were coming up short for answers.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hand and showed everyone the ring.  "We also got married while we were there."

"I'm sorry, what?" Wanda asked in shock.

Wanda wasn't the only one in shock, but she was the only one that had been able to put her thoughts into words.  Sam took advantage of the fact that the majority of his friends were speechless to explain himself.

"We met on Saturday, and immediately hit it off," he began, a smile began to spread across his face as he remembered that flash of red he'd noticed right off.  "She's absolutely amazing – smart, funny, beautiful, sexy, and to top it all off, she's as crazy about me as I am about her."

"Let me get this straight," Maria said, her keen eyes narrowing as she leaned forward on her elbows.  "You met this amazing woman, and within less than a week, the two of you decided to get married?"

Sam swallowed hard.  He'd hoped they wouldn't question him too much on the details of the wedding, but the women in this group had the most cunning minds he'd ever encountered.  Too many times he'd thought their talents were wasted out here in Montana – they should have all been spies for the CIA.

Steve picked up on Sam's hesitation and immediately knew what had happened.  "Oh no, you didn't," he exclaimed with a hearty laugh, his head thrown back and his hand clutching his own chest.

"What?" Peter asked, confused by Steve's outburst.

"They got married while they were drunk," Steve said as he wiped a tear from his eye.  "Didn't you?"

Running a hand down his face, Sam knew it would be better to just get it all out now.  "If you must know, yes, we were drunk.  But that doesn't change how we feel about each other."

"Do you love her?" Vis asked hesitantly.

Sam took a minute to think about his question.  Love hadn't been something that he and YN had discussed, and if he were being honest with himself, it was too soon to contemplating that emotion.  Sure, they'd already gotten married, and she was moving out here tomorrow, but while he was completely infatuated with her, he was realistic enough to know that it would take some time before he could say for certain that he was in love with her.  Now he just had to figure out how to explain that to his friends without sounding ridiculous.

"We barely know each other," he began.  "We were going to get the marriage annulled this week, but once we spent a little more time together, we decided to give it a shot.  All we have to lose is a few months of our time and some court fees if it doesn't work out."

"By 'give it a shot,' do you mean that she's moving here, or you're moving there, or are you going to try long distance?" Rowan asked, trying to wrap her mind around what Sam was saying.

"She's moving here," Sam explained.  "In fact, she'll be here tomorrow."

"So, she just quit her job and packed some bags and now she's moving to Montana?" Nat asked, finally breaking her silence.

"No," Sam interjected quickly.  "She's a writer, so she doesn't have to quit her job.  We're not being idealistic about this – she's not selling her house in Dayton, just closing it down until we see if this is going to work."

"What kind of writer?" Maria asked.  "What's her name?"

A huge grin lit Sam's face as he finally got to the part that he knew would win over the women at the table.  "She writes romance novels.  Her name is YN, but you might know her as Sophie Devereaux."

"No," Rowan said, her eyes growing large.  "You did not marry Sophie Devereaux."

Sam watched as the guys all gave one another confused looks, but the ladies were all gaping at him in delighted shock.  "Yep.  The AWP conference was going on at the same time as mine and she was there to teach a seminar.  I actually have you gals to thank for helping me to impress her.  I didn't realize it when I first saw her, but I'd seen enough of her dust jackets to recognize her once she told me the name of her latest novel."

"So, let me get this straight," Wanda said, excitement evident on her face.  "Sophie Devereaux is your wife, and she's coming here tomorrow?  To live with you?"

"Yes," Sam said, finally feeling like tide was turning in his favor.  "I've already told her that you're huge fans of hers and she's excited to meet you all."

The conversation shifted to talk of YN's latest best seller as the girls tried their best to explain how famous YN was in the literary world.  Wanda and Rowan were the most excited, but he could tell that Maria and Nat were secretly thrilled that they would get a chance to not only meet, but perhaps become friends with their favorite novelist.

When he was sure that the attention had moved away from him, he grabbed his phone and typed a quick text to YN to let her know that his friends had taken it as well as he'd expected.  He promised he'd call her on his way home and then he put his phone away to enjoy the rest of the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 7 of this story! Did you like the reactions of Sam’s friends? Unfortunately, Bucky wasn’t there to put in his two cents. . .how do you think he’ll react when he finds out? Did you like Peter’s new pet? I personally love the idea of having a cantankerous little raccoon wreaking havoc at Blackwater Falls! I look forward to your comments!_


	8. Chapter 8

Sam awoke early Saturday morning – too anxious for YN's arrival to sleep past six.  He spent a good bit of time going through the house, picking up things and cleaning out a few drawers and a section of the closet for her things.  She'd told him that UPS wouldn't be delivering the bulk of her personal belongings until sometime next week, but he wanted her to feel as welcome as possible.  

Since he was a neat man already, and he hadn't been home in a week, there really wasn't too much to do in the house.  Rearranging the photos on the mantle for the third time as he waited for her to text that her plane was boarding, he decided it would probably be best for him to get out of the house for a bit before he redecorated the whole place.  As he walked out of the house, he got her text and with a huge smile on his face he texted back that he couldn't wait to see her in a few hours.

Thankfully, his truck had been in the garage, so the vandals had only been able to slash the tires on his cruiser sitting in the graveled parking space he'd created for it when he'd bought the house.  Trip had gotten the car towed to the local garage and had four new tires put on and then parked the car at the Sheriff's department in case they decided to strike again.

Sam drove over to the department to see if Trip had had any luck identifying the culprit, and to see what else he'd missed while he'd been away.  Even though it was Saturday, he knew the deputy would be at the office.

"Hey, man," Sam greeting his deputy as he walked through the door.

Trip gave Sam a wide grin.  "How was the City of Lights?"

"Good," he said as he debated on telling Trip his big news.  Knowing that it would be all over town before the end of the day, he decided that his deputy needed to hear it from him.  "I ended up getting married while I was there."

"I'm sorry," Trip said, shock written all over his face.  "What did you just say?"

Sam held up the hand with the wedding band.  "It's a crazy story, but I wanted you to hear it from me first."

Sam spent the next few minutes retelling the story of how he and YN met and the events that led up to her being on a plane to Missoula as they spoke.  Trip listened quietly, only interrupting a few times to clarify something he didn't understand.  When Sam had finished, Trip had enveloped him in a bear hug and told him that he couldn't wait to meet the new Mrs. Wilson.

Leaning back in his chair, he looked over the report on the vandalism of his patrol car.  "Still no leads on who's behind this?"

Trip's mouth formed a hard line as he shook his head.  "No, and unfortunately, there's more."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, concerned.  "Why didn't you call or text me?"

"It happened yesterday morning," the deputy explained, "and I knew you'd be tied up with the conference and the flight home.  Plus, I knew you'd be in this morning.

"We're not sure if it's the same person or persons that slashed your tires, but when I came on shift yesterday morning, the back side of the department had been spray painted."

"Was there a message, or was it just tagged?"

"There was a message," Trip said as he reached for his phone.  "I had little Peter from the hardware store come by and paint over it, but I took pictures."

Sam reached for the phone and scrolled through the pictures.  In bright red, the words "Pigs get slaughtered – you'll get what's coming to you" were crudely painted over the grey cinderblock wall with what looked to be a half finished skull and crossbones.

"It looks like whoever did this got interrupted before they could add the skull to that last part."

"That's what I thought as well," Trip agreed.  "He could've gotten spooked by a stray cat or someone driving by.  We'll have to ask once we catch him."

"We don't have security cameras back there," Sam mused aloud.

"Nope," Trip confirmed, "but as of Monday, we will."

"What are the odds that these incidents are the work of two different people?"

"Right now, I'm leaning toward the same person.  I'm also leaning to this being the work of one individual, not a group.  If there had been more than one person, I think we would have found multiple messages painted on the wall."

Sam nodded his head in agreement.  "I'm thinking the same thing.  This is one person, and it seems like they are targeting me.  It could be that they knew I was out of state and I kept the car parked outside, or they could have a personal vendetta against me.  Who have we put away that's gotten out recently?"

"I'm a step ahead of you there, boss," he told him as he handed him a file.  "These are all the recent releases from county and state lockup that you arrested.  None of these guys seem to have a reason to target you.  

"You put away John Garrett for domestic abuse, but I talked to his parole officer and he's in counseling and has a steady job in Wye.  Daniel Whitehall was caught driving on a suspended license for the third time about four months ago and he's been out about a week, but according to the DMV, he's renewed his license and hasn't had a run in with any other law enforcement agency.  Gideon Malick just did five years for first degree manslaughter with a firearm in that bar fight that turned deadly back in 2012 – the warden said he was an exemplary prisoner and kept his nose clean the entire time he was in."

"You've checked with the prosecuting attorney and the judges in these cases?" Sam asked.

"I talked to all of them, and none of them have had any problems," Trip told him with a sigh.  "This is just about you, but I can't figure out where it's coming from."

"Maybe they're starting with me," Sam surmised.  "Keep tabs on the attorneys and judges, plus the defense attorneys.  Sometimes these guys can hold a grudge against their own lawyer because they didn't get them acquitted."

"This is why you get paid the big bucks," Trip joked.  "I never even thought about the defense attorneys.  I think they all had public defenders, so I'll put a call in to their office first thing Monday morning."

"Sounds good," Sam said as he checked the time.  "I need to get on the road to Missoula.  YN's plane will be landing in a few hours and I want to get her something.  I have no idea what – flowers and chocolates seem too cliché.  Any ideas?"

Trip took a minute to think.  "You said she's an author, right?"

"Yeah, romance novels."

"Maybe you could get her a really nice desk so she has somewhere to write," Trip suggested.  "I don't remember ever seeing a desk in your place."

"That's a great idea," Sam said with a smile.  "I was going to see if the guys would help me build a sunroom on the back porch for her to work – she told me she had one at her place in Dayton.  I was going to order the furniture online once it was finished, but this way, she'll have a place to write, other than the dining room table, while we work on the sunroom."

Armed with a plan, he said his goodbyes to Trip and began the drive to Missoula.  He spent the trip trying to imagine what kind of desk she might want and then decided that simple might be best.  

After going to three different furniture stores, he finally found what he was looking for.  It had a rustic look – grey wood with wrought iron embellishments.  It came in a line of furniture, so if she liked it, they could come back and get the bookshelves and entertainment center that matched.  

Once it was loaded up and tied down in the back of his truck, he made his way to the airport and found a spot in the short term lot.  He hadn't been nervous until he walked into the airport and made his way to the baggage claim area, but now he was starting to get anxious.

He checked the arrivals board and found that her plane was scheduled to land in five minutes, so he found a seat and waited for her text that they were ready to disembark the plane.

After what seemed like an eternity, she texted that she was in the terminal and heading for the baggage claim.  Sam rose to his feet and began to scan the crowd, desperate to see her.

He needn't have worried about finding her in the sea of people when he caught the flash of red.  A wide smile spread across his face when he realized what she was wearing.  It was strange how a simple article of clothing could have such a deep meaning for two people.

The two of them rushed across the airport, colliding into one another as Sam wrapped his arms around her and spun her around.  She cupped his face in her hands and fitted her lips to his in a passionate kiss that had some people whistling in admiration.

Coming up for air, Sam finally put her back on the ground.  "Hi."

"Hi."

"I can't believe you're really here right now," he told her as he brushed his thumb down the side of her face.

"Me either," she said, still a little breathless from their kiss.  "Why don't we grab my bag and find somewhere a little more private."

Sam closed his eyes and groaned.  "Woman, I have missed you so much."

Laughing, she leaned in for another quick kiss before spotting her suitcase on the turnstile.  She pointed it out to Sam and once he'd retrieved it, they were on their way to his truck, their fingers tightly interlaced as they walked side by side.

When YN saw the desk in the back of the truck, she covered her mouth with her hand as she struggled to contain a squeal of excitement.

"You bought me a desk?" she asked in disbelief as she walked around the bed of the truck to get a better look at it.

"Think of it as a housewarming gift," he told her as he pulled her back into his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist.  "I wanted you to have something that was wholly yours at my place. . .I'm sorry, our place."

She craned her head around to look at him as she smiled.  "I like the sound of that – our place."

"I have some plans for the house, but I want to get your input before we start," he told her as he put her suitcase in the backseat of the king cab and helped her into the passenger seat.

"That means a lot to me, Sam," she told him once he'd gotten behind the wheel and started up the truck.  "I love that you've thought of me, but I love it even more that you want my opinion."

He reached over and grabbed her hand once he was driving out of the parking lot.  "I want you to be happy here, YN.  If that means I let you repaint the bedroom and pick out new china patterns, then I'm totally fine with that.  Right now, it's just a house I live in, but I want to make it into a home – with you."

She gave his hand a squeeze as she began to look at the scenery along the interstate.  Autumn was in full swing, and the trees were ablaze with color – bright yellows, deep reds, and vibrant oranges adorned the trees, as the mountains in the distance towered over them.  She'd traveled all over the world and seen so many different vistas, but she always loved to visit somewhere in Fall.  The warm days and cool nights, coupled with the beautiful colors and smells always made her feel safe and comfortable.  She was glad that she was moving here in Autumn so she could see her new home in her favorite colors.

She looked back at Sam as he began to point out different landmarks along the way.  There was so much to learn – about him as well as the state, and she was anxious to get started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 8 of this story! For my Marvel’s Agents Of SHIELD fans, you may recognize the name of some of those criminals! Any ideas on who the vandal is? I did leave you guys a clue if you look hard enough! What did you think of Sam’s present? If you’re interested in seeing the desk, just Google Altra Wildwood Veneer Desk in Rustic Gray. I look forward to your comments!_


	9. Chapter 9

Sam backed the truck into the garage, and after setting her suitcase inside the house, he insisted that she walk around to the front to get a better look at her new home. It was a quaint, ranch style home with a large front porch that would have a great view of the sunset in the evenings. The yard was meticulous, and she wondered if he did his own landscaping, or if he had hired someone to do it.

He lead her up the walkway to the front porch. There was a swing in the corner and two rocking chairs closer to the door. He fitted his key into the lock and held up a finger for her to wait as he went inside and disabled the alarm. When he returned to the porch, he surprised her by scooping her up and carrying her across the threshold.

"Sam," she exclaimed with a laugh. "Put me down."

"No, ma'am," he told her as he leaned in for a kiss. "Every woman deserves to be carried over the threshold at least once in her life."

Her arms had gone around his neck when he'd unexpectedly picked her up, but once his lips were on hers again, her hands had slid up to frame his face as she began to deepen the kiss. She'd missed being in his arms – missed having his body as close to hers as possible, and now that they were finally alone again, she was anxious to pick up where they'd left off.

Sam seemed to be on the same page as her. With her still in his arms, he walked through the house to the master bedroom. They had all the time in the world to get reacquainted, but they had been apart for days and they couldn't wait any longer.

 

Exhaustion and hunger had finally driven them from the bedroom and Sam took great delight in showing her his home. It was definitely a bachelor pad, but not in a cliché way. There were a few decorative items, but it desperately needed a woman's touch.

The main living area was an open floor plan that reminded her of her house in Ohio. The kitchen was divided from the living room by a long row of cabinets that had been converted to a breakfast bar on the living room side. The appliances looked to be brand new – black and stainless steel, with a glass-top stove and oversized refrigerator.

The entire house was laid with hardwood floors that gleamed as the evening sun slanted through the wide picture windows that faced the front lawn. She walked over to one and pulled aside the sheer curtain to look out at the vista before her. The mountains were in the distance – long shadows stretching out before them as the sun continued to dip behind them.

Behind her Sam was preparing dinner in the kitchen. She turned around to find him with a dish towel slung over his shoulder as he wrapped a couple of potatoes in foil and placed them in the oven.

"These will take about an hour to bake," he told her as he went back to the refrigerator. "Why don't we grab some wine and sit out on the porch until it's time to put the steaks on the grill?"

The rumbling of her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten since she'd left Dayton that morning. "Do you have anything light to snack on until dinner's ready?"

He gave her a cheeky grin as he pulled her into his arms. "Work up an appetite, did ya?"

When his stomach began to growl as well, she started laughing. "Seems like I wasn't the only one."

Once they'd gathered some cheese and crackers to go with their wine, they headed out to the front porch. They chose to sit in the swing with the plate of food on her lap and Sam's arm around her shoulders. 

All too soon, it was time for Sam to finish dinner and she reminded herself that she would have plenty of chances to sit in the swing with him in the future. Following him into the house, she waited until he grabbed the steaks before going out back.

The back yard was just as beautiful as the front. There was a small patio with a table and chairs. A privacy fence surrounded the entire yard, giving it the feel of being hidden away from the world.

Just as Sam laid the steaks on the grill, his phone began to ring. Glancing briefly at the screen, he answered the call and his face broke out into a wide grin.

"You guys didn't have to do that," he told the person on the other end of the line. "I'm sure she'll be okay with it, but let me double check."

Pulling the phone away from his ear, he turned to her. "It's Steve. He and Rowan want to have us over tomorrow for a small get-together. Nothing fancy, just burgers and beer so you'll have a chance to meet everyone. Whaddaya say?"

Suddenly nervous at the prospect of meeting all of Sam's friends as once, she hesitated. Taking a moment to rationalize, she realized that it would probably be best to get the awkward first meeting over with early so she could focus on settling in.

"That sounds wonderful," she finally said. "Tell them I said thank you."

Sam gave her a wink as he put the phone back to his ear. "She's in. Yeah, I know, she's pretty great. Okay, so tomorrow around one. See you then."

Sam disconnected the call and quickly flipped the steaks before turning back to her. "You're going to love my friends, YN."

"If they're anything like you," she told him with a smile, "then I know I'll love them."

 

After dinner the previous night, she'd spent a good bit of time unpacking the large suitcase she'd brought with her on the plane. The majority of her clothes wouldn't be arriving until Tuesday, so she didn't have many options for this afternoon. Staring at the meager offering of choices hanging on one side of the walk-in closet, she debated on what she should wear. She wanted to look nice, but at the same time, she didn't want to overdress and appear snooty. 

"You know how much I love that red jacket," Sam whispered in her ear as he pulled her back into his chest. "Throw on a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt, and you'll look fine."

She craned her neck around to look at him with a grateful smile. "That jacket definitely made a good impression on you, so you're probably right. Let me toss it in the dryer for a few minutes to get some of the wrinkles out of it."

He gave her a quick peck on lips before turning toward his side of the closet and grabbing some clothes of his own. She cast a glance over her shoulder as she watched him change at the bedside. Seeing him half-naked wasn't something she would be growing tired of anytime soon.

Once they were both changed, they headed to the truck. Sam had told her that they didn't need to bring anything, but she'd insisted on baking a couple dozen cookies just because she was a firm believer that you didn't arrive at someone's house empty handed. As she sat in the truck with the container of cookies on her lap, Sam drove through town and gave her a quick tour.

"There's Parker's Hardware," he told her as he pointed toward a glass-fronted building along the Main Street. "Ben ran it for years until he had a heart attack. Now his widow, May, and his nephew, Peter, are running it.

"Over there is the Cathedral Café," he continued, pointing to an old church on the other side of the street. "Bucky's girlfriend, Kieran, owned it up until a few months ago. Her parents bought the old church when we were back in elementary school and turned it into a restaurant. They picked up one day and decided to travel the country in an RV, so Kieran moved home and ran it. Now Mack and Elena own it and it's one of the best places to eat in town."

YN didn't say a word, too interested in hearing the history behind each of the places he pointed out to interrupt. He showed her the pizza parlor, the new church, and Tony Stark's law office. He then spent a few minutes explaining that Nat and Wanda were Tony's adopted daughters from Russia and Slovakia. She could tell there was more to that story, and she was certain she'd learn it all at some point. Once they were just outside of town, he pointed out the local bar, the Falcon's Nest. Sam spent a few minutes telling her some of the more colorful stories associated with his friends and the bar.

The rest of the drive was uneventful as they passed by a few ranches. Her attention began to wonder as she watched herds of cattle grazing in a field. When he began to slow down, she focused her attention back on the road. 

He turned onto a graveled drive and slowed so she could take in the elaborate entrance. "This is Wolf Creek. It's actually Rowan's land, but Steve was the foreman here for years under her father while she was in Seattle being a world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon. When her dad died about a year ago, she gave it all up to move back here and rekindle things with Steve. She took over Dr. Banner's practice and helps Steve run the ranch when she can."

"Why do I get the feeling there's more to these stories than your telling me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Probably because there is," he told her with a shake of his head. "We don't have time to go into everyone's life history before we get there, but I promise, you'll learn all the details soon enough."

He continued down the drive and she was surprised at the size of the house waiting for them at the end. To call it a log cabin would be an insult. She'd seen houses like this, but had never thought she'd get a chance to actually visit one.

Grabbing the cookies, she hopped down from the cab and linked her fingers with Sam's as they climbed the stairs of the front porch. When Sam opened the door without knocking she gave him a disbelieving look.

"None of us knock," he told her as he led her through the entryway to the large living area where a crowd of people were already gathered.

YN's nerves were suddenly on edge again as every eye turned toward them. She forced a smile on her face and told herself to think of this like one of her seminars – it was nothing more than a room full of strangers who were solely interested in hearing all about her.

"Hey guys," Sam said as he pulled her closer to him. "This is my wife, YN."

Leading her around the room, he introduced her to everyone. Someone took the container of cookies from her and she was doing her best to remember names and faces, but she knew it would useless to try to memorize everyone all at once. They were all very nice, welcoming her to Montana and telling her that they couldn't wait to get to know her better.

Once she'd met everyone in the room, Sam looked back at her. "This is everyone but Bucky and Kieran. This is Bucky's weekend to spend in Missoula with her, so you'll have to wait until later to meet them."

"Well," Steve began as the sound of tires on gravel drew their attention toward the front door.

Sam gave Steve a questioning look, but he didn't have time to answer as the front door opened again to reveal a tall, lanky man and a strikingly beautiful woman.

"What are you two doing here?" Sam asked in confusion. "You're supposed to be in Missoula."

"I get a cryptic text from you that you'd gotten married in Vegas and we're not going to come home to meet your new wife?" Bucky told Sam as he walked toward YN with his hand outstretched.

"I'm Bucky," he told her as he shook her hand, "and this is my girlfriend, Kieran."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," YN said with a smile.

Bucky turned back to Sam and gave him a friendly, yet somewhat forceful punch to the arm. "How did you manage this? No, wait, let me guess. You won one some kind of contest, or maybe she lost one."

"Barnes. You know I've never liked you, right?" Sam asked as he playfully punched Bucky's shoulder. 

"You love me, Wilson," Bucky said with a smile as he turned back toward YN. "So how do you like Montana so far?"

"Well," YN began, "I haven't had a chance to see much, but Sam drove me through town on the way here and it seems like a nice place to live."

"What do you mean you haven't seen much?" Bucky asked, genuinely confused. "What did you guys do all day yesterday?"

Embarrassment washed over YN as she struggled to come up with an answer that wasn't the truth. She turned to Sam for help and was greeted with a self-satisfied smile.

"Bucky," Kieran hissed. "They're newlyweds. Don't be such an idiot."

Looking back at YN, Kieran offered her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, YN. Bucky is a little dense when it comes to relationships."

"Hey," Bucky protested, earning him a glare from YN.

"Seriously, Bucky?" Kieran asked, one eyebrow raised. 

"Kieran's got a point," Steve piped up.

Bucky turned on Steve with a glare. "Like you have any room to talk when it comes to the subject."

YN's senses were in overdrive – she could smell a good story and she was desperate for details. Pointing fingers in opposite directions at each couple, YN asked, "Why do I get the feeling that you guys have long, complicated histories?"

"Ooh," Peter said with a gleeful expression. "You guys better be careful, or your life stories are going to end up as the plot lines in some of her next books."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 9 of this story!  Sam and the Reader picked up right where they left off.  Do you think they have a shot of making things work now that she's in Montana?  Were you surprised that Bucky and Kieran decided to drive down to meet Sam's new wife?  How do you think this first meeting is going to go?  I look forward to your comments!_


	10. Chapter 10

Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed at YN as though they'd suddenly remembered that she was more than just Sam's new wife.  Feeling guilty for thinking the very thing Peter had suggested, she gave everyone a sheepish smile.

"I'll admit, from the few details I've learned so far, I'm sure that your stories would make excellent plot lines in my books."

"Told ya," Peter said with a smirk and a nod of his head before turning toward YN.  "You can just go ahead and mark me off your list of potential subjects – I'm a confirmed bachelor with no plans to ever settle down with just one woman."

YN gave him a knowing smile.  "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are just the type of man I love to write about.  You've got that bad boy vibe, with a little chivalrous cowboy thrown in for good measure.  Woman love a challenge, and I'd be willing to bet that someday someone is going to turn up in your life and make you reconsider your stance on happily ever after."

Bucky playfully slapped Sam on the shoulder.  "Man, I already love your wife.  She's not afraid to call a spade a spade."

Peter stood, mouth agape, as all of his friends echoed Bucky's sentiment.  He was a little shocked that they all seemed to be in agreement about his relationship status.  He decided that being in love was like a disease and everyone was fanatical about spreading it across the globe.  He considered himself immune, but it seemed like it would take his friends a while to be convinced.  That was okay – he knew he'd eventually prove them wrong.

The teasing came to an abrupt halt when the front door opened again.  YN wasn't sure who the new arrival was, but everyone seemed happy to see him.  He wasn't a tall man, but he exuded an air of charisma that made him seem bigger than life.  

"I'm not too late, am I?" he asked as he dramatically whipped off his sunglasses and hooked them on the collar of his shirt – a shirt that had a large orange tabby cat on the front.

"So, you like cats?" Sam asked.

"Sam," YN chastised as she watched a grin spread across the newcomer's face.

Sam just shrugged his shoulders.  "What?  Dude shows up dressed in a cat shirt and you don't wanna know more?"

"I apologize," YN said as she walked toward him.  "I'm YN, Sam's wife."

He gave her a heart-stopping smile.  "Tony Stark."

"Oh, you're the town lawyer," YN said as she held out a hand.  "Sam showed me your office on the way over here.  It's a pleasure to meet you."

Tony flipped her hand in his and brought it up to his lips as he grazed a kiss over her knuckles.  YN could hear a few feminine groans from behind her and assumed that his daughters were embarrassed that their dad was so obviously flirting with her.

"Trust me," Tony said with a wink, "the pleasure is all mine."

Dropping her hand, Tony turned toward Sam.  "Did I miss the story?"

Wanda walked over and wound an arm through her father's as she moved toward the grouping of sofas in the living room.  "No, Dad.  We'd just gotten through the introductions when you came in."  She gave a hopeful smile to YN.  "But we're all hoping to get a few more details."

YN was once again the center of attention as she shot Sam a pleading look.  He just shrugged his shoulders and gave her a weak smile as he led her to a loveseat.

"There's really not much to tell," she admitted once everyone had been seated.  "We met at the conference, got drunk, and ended up married."

Maria leaned forward with a disbelieving look.  "I get the drunken marriage part of the week.  What I want to know – what I think everyone wants to know – is why did you two decide to stay married?"

"I'll be the first to admit that this whole thing is absolutely crazy," she told them as she gave Sam a loving smile.  "But the longer I spent with Sam, the more I realized that he and I complimented one another.  We may have gone about things a little backward, but relationships are always complicated.  Am I right?"

YN watched as Kieran gave Bucky a knowing look and Steve smiled sheepishly at Rowan.  This only confirmed her suspicion that these two sets of lovebirds were hiding some juicy stories.  She couldn't wait to get the two ladies alone so she could learn all of the details.

"The girls told me that you're a romance novelist," Tony piped up from his perch on the edge of the couch.  "I'm assuming all of your stories have a happy ending.  Just be warned, real life doesn't always follow the plot line of a book – sometimes love isn't enough to make things work."

"Dad," Nat exclaimed.  

"No, it's okay," YN said.  "He's right.  Sometimes love isn't enough.  I write happy endings because that's what my readers want.  It's a fantasy.  But I've had my fair share of heartbreak, and I know just how easy it is to give up and walk away.  I like to think that I'm still open to the possibility of a happily ever after, and I'm willing to take a few risks along the way to get there."

Sam squeezed her hand as he leaned over and placed a kiss on her temple.  "I agree.  Life's not worth living if you're too scared to take a chance.  This may not work out, or it may be the best decision we'll ever make.  Either way, we'll know we tried."

Maria laid a hand over her heart and gave a dramatic sigh.  "That's sweet, it really is, but I'm starving.  Are we going to eat anytime soon?"

"That's my girl," Scott said with a proud look on his face, "never afraid to ask the question everyone else is thinking."

There were nods of approval as the men all began to stand and make their way to the back of the house.  

Sam paused and looked back at YN.  "You okay to stay here with the ladies while we go grill the burgers?"

She raised an eyebrow as she pursed her lips.  "I'll be fine with your friends.  Go do your male bonding ritual with raw meat and an open flame."

Sam leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips before following behind the other guys.

"So," Nat began once she heard the back door close, "what's the real story?  Illegal alien needing a green card?  Running from the IRS and need a new last name?  Daddy left you a ton of money, but won't fork it over until you're happily married?"

"Natalia," Wanda said as she slapped her sister on the arm.

YN didn't take offense, though.  Instead she began to laugh.  "I don't blame you for being suspicious, but I promise you, it happened just like we said.  It's such a cliché, but I make my living on clichés, so why shouldn't I live one?"

"I apologize for Nat," Rowan said with a stern look in the redhead's direction.  "She's the only one that's suspicious in this room.  The rest of us are just glad that Sam's finally found someone that makes him happy."

"That, and we're all really excited to meet the one and only Sophie Devereaux," Wanda said with a starstruck look in her eye.

YN brushed off her comment with a wave of her hand.  "Sophie is famous.  I'm just a normal woman.  From what Sam has told me, you ladies are all just as accomplished in your careers.

"You were a world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon, weren't you?" she asked Rowan.

Rowan seemed embarrassed to be reminded of her time in Seattle.  "I was, yes, but my heart has always been here in Thousand Oaks."

YN didn't know this woman, but she could tell that she sincerely meant what she said.  

Turning to Kieran, she asked, "And didn't Sam tell me that you were an English professor at the University of Missoula while simultaneously working on your doctorate?"

"That's nothing like being a best-selling novelist," Kieran argued.

"Without my English professors in college," YN argued, "I wouldn't be the writer I am today.  Don't sell your self short."

YN turned toward the other ladies in the room.  "As for you three, Sam told me about Blackwater Falls and the work you do there with troubled kids.  Even Alyssa Milano gave you her endorsement."

Wanda and Maria started to object to YN's praise, but Nat interjected.  "I see your point, and I have to admit you're right.  We may not be household names, but we all make a difference.  You seem to be an astute woman, YN.  I think you just might fit after all."

"Thank you, Natalia," YN said.  "That really does mean a lot to me."

"My friends call me Nat."

"Nat it is," YN said, secretly thrilled that she'd won over the cynical Russian.  Sam had warned her that Nat would be the toughest hurdle, but it seemed as though she'd endeared herself to all of his female friends – now she just had to work on the guys.  She had a feeling the ladies would do their best to help smooth the way there, but she knew from past experience that if a man's friends didn't like you, it made things ten times harder.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here," Rowan began with a chagrinned look, "but I'm assuming that you and Sam haven't had a lot of time to really get to know one another."

YN took a deep breath before answering.  "We really haven't had a lot of time to delve into our life histories, but I think I know the highlights. He told me about his time in the Air Force and joining the Sheriff's Department as a deputy before running for Sheriff."

"We've known him our entire lives," Maria said with a sly grin.  "Whatever you want to know, we'll be more than happy to share."

YN steepled her fingers as she considered her possibilities.  "I honestly don't know where to start."

"I have an idea," Wanda said as she rose from the couch and grabbed a large book from under the coffee table.  "Rowan has kept a scrapbook since she was a kid.  We were always together, so most of the things in this book involve Sam.  We can start here."

"That's perfect," YN said as Wanda laid the book on the coffee table and everyone began to gather around on the floor.

YN lost track of time as the five ladies took turns telling the stories that went along with each picture.  She learned that Sam and Steve had been the two least likely to get into trouble, unless Peter and Bucky dared them to do something risky.  She also learned about Sam's high school football days as the top running back in the state, helping to lead his team to the state championship their senior year.

YN took a moment to look at the picture of Sam in his football uniform, still looking exactly the same as he did today, before flipping the page.  Glancing over the next few pages, she realized that none of the girls in the pictures were the girls sitting around the coffee table with her.

"We can skip this section," Rowan said as she started to turn the page.

"Wait," YN said, curiosity getting the better of her.  "When were these taken?"

Rowan flipped the page back and took a moment to look at the pictures.  "These were taken while I was in college.  I was in a sorority and these are all of my sisters."

YN could feel the tension in the room begin to thicken and couldn't help but wonder if this was somehow part of her story with Steve.  Trying to lighten the mood, she pointed at one picture that stood out from the others.  "Who is this?"

"That was my Little Sister in the sorority," Rowan answered.

"Do you two still keep in touch?" YN asked.

Rowan ran her fingers over the picture before finally turning the pages to find the section with her wedding photos.  "Unfortunately, I lost touch with Nina once I moved to Seattle.  I'm ashamed to say that I haven't thought of her in years."

YN laid a hand on Rowan's shoulder.  "That's okay.  People change and grow apart.  You never know, you might see her again someday."

"Maybe," Rowan agreed as she flipped the page to reveal several pictures of her in surgical scrubs.

"Who is that?" YN asked, immediately zeroing in on the ruggedly handsome doctor with his arm around Rowan.

"That's Mark," Nat said, giving Rowan a wink.  "He and Rowan were really close friends while she was in Seattle."

"I take it that was during the period you and Steve weren't together?" YN asked, desperate to learn more.

Rowan looked embarrassed so Wanda took pity on her.  "Rowan spent some time away from her friends back here, and she was lucky enough to meet some wonderful people in Seattle."

Recognizing a delicate situation, she shifted the focus away from Dr. Sexy and pointed to a picture of Rowan standing next to a beautiful young woman.  "What about her?"

"That was my favorite intern, Alyson," Rowan explained, grateful to avoid having to explain her relationship with Mark.  Everyone knew about them, but now that she was a happily married woman, it seemed crass to discuss her former lover.

"It looked like you really loved being a surgeon," YN said.  "Do you miss it?"

"At times I do, but for the most part I love being able to come home at a regular time and have dinner with my husband," she explained as she flipped the page and began showing her pictures of Sam with the other guys at the wedding a few months ago.

"Bucky got so drunk at your wedding," Maria said as she pointed to picture of Rowan and Steve beside a beautiful Palomino horse.  Bucky could be seen in the background being supported by a worried looking Kieran.

"I, for one, am eternally grateful that he got drunk enough that I had to drive him home," Kieran said with a self-satisfied look.

"It sounds like you enjoyed some amazing wedding sex," YN teased.

The other four ladies all gave Kieran sideways glances and YN realized that she'd stumbled upon something.  "What am I missing here?"

Kieran took a deep breath, her mouth opening to say something before she firmly shut it again.  Maria leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

"Bucky and I had just been friends up until that night," Kieran explained.  "I might have taken advantage of him in his inebriated state."

YN's eyebrows shot sky high.  "From the way I've seen him look at you today, he obviously doesn't think you took advantage of him."

"We've come a long way since that first night," Kieran explained, "but it wasn't an easy road to get where we are."

YN was just about to inquire some more when the sound of the back door opening signaled the return of the men.

"We'll have to continue this conversation later," Rowan said as she closed the scrapbook and placed it back under the coffee table.

YN was a little disappointed that their time together had been interrupted, but she felt as though she'd learned some valuable information, both about her new husband and his friends.  The ladies had made her feel like a part of the group already, and for that she was grateful.  Dinner would be a great opportunity to learn more about the men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 10 of this story!  I know that this is Sam's story, but I couldn't help but add a few hints to the next two parts of this Saga! Now that I've been immersed in this amazing world I've created, I'm so excited to write the next two stories! Did you enjoy Tony's entrance? He was noticeably absent from Bucky's story, but I had a plan to bring him into the spotlight a little more in this one. Did you happen to catch the little tidbit of Civil War dialogue I threw in there? I love adding Easter Eggs to my stories!  I look forward to your comments!_


	11. Chapter 11

Sam was the last one out the back door, and as he pulled it shut behind him, he was simultaneously punched in the arm and slapped on the back by all of his friends. Judging from the wide smiles on all of their faces, and the fact that no one had slapped him on the back of the head, he was pretty sure that they all seemed to be happy for him.

"Seriously, man," Peter said with a shake of his head. "How in the hell did you manage to hook up with her?"

A wide smile spread across Sam's face as he remembered that first night in the bar with YN. "Dude, I honestly have no idea. She's completely out of my league in every way possible, but she's as crazy about me as I am about her."

"You're a great guy, Sam," Steve said as he started pulling some beers from the cooler by the grill and passing them around the men sitting around the patio table. "I just hope the two of you know what you're doing."

Bucky gave Steve a disbelieving look as the blond began placing hamburger patties on the grill. "Come on, Steve, it's not like you and I have any room to talk when it comes to relationships. If it hadn't been for the fact that both of our women are a helluva lot smarter than us, we'd both still be single and miserable. At least Sam is taking the initiative and trying to make things work between the two of them."

Tony was leaning back in his chair, his feet propped up on the long, glass topped table with a beer in his hand. "I still think this is going to blow up in your face. Take it from someone who knows – you can't take a successful woman away from the city and expect her to be happy here."

"Is that what happened to your wife?" Scott asked before realizing that he may have overstepped. "I'm sorry, man, that's none of my business."

"It's not a secret," Tony began, not at all embarrassed by Scott's question. "I loved my wife more than anything else in the world, but she wanted a career that she couldn't have here in Thousand Oaks."

A look came over Bucky's face as he listened to Tony explain why his wife had left him. "To be honest, I'm terrified the same thing is going to happen to me."

Vis gave Bucky a sympathetic look. "Kieran loves you very much, and your arrangement seems to be working rather well so far."

"That's now," Bucky said with a shake of his head. "What happens when she finishes her doctorate and Dr. Carter offers her a permanent spot at the University? I can't ask her to give up an opportunity like that, but how in the world can we have a family if we're living in two different places?"

"Rowan faced the same dilemma," Steve began to say before Bucky interrupted.

"That's different, man, and you know it," Bucky said. "Rowan always dreamed of taking over Dr. Banner's practice, so it wasn't a hard decision for her to give up her attending's position in Seattle. Kieran has always dreamed of getting away from this place. Let's face it, the only reason she's still coming back here as often as she does is because of me. One of these days, I won't be enough."

"See, this is why I don't let some chick get her claws in me," Peter added with a smug look. "You guys are all worked up over these women when there are literally thousands more out there to choose from."

Sam gave Peter a hard-eyed stare. "Don't take this the wrong way, man, but you're an idiot."

The other men nodded their heads in agreement at Sam's words, but he wasn't finished. "You think you're living the life every man dreams of, but you're not. Having a different woman warming your bed every night isn't all that glamorous. I know I haven't even been married a week – to a woman I barely know – but there's something to be said about waking up in the morning and her smile is the first thing I see."

"He's right," Steve agreed. "For years after I screwed things up with Rowan, I felt like a piece of me was missing, and then she came back into my life and I swear I'm never letting her go again."

"Whatever," Peter said with an exaggerated eye roll. "You guys are all so whipped. Give it a few years and you'll be complaining about your wives and girlfriends, and I'll be the one sitting back to tell you 'I told ya so.'"

"I hate to say it," Tony began before he reconsidered his words. "No, I actually love saying it – you're wrong Peter. I was just like your friends back when I first married my wife and I thought I'd be okay when she left me. I played it up like I was a free man again, but as the years go on, I've realized that letting her go without a fight was the biggest mistake of my life."

"I think that's the main reason why YN and I are trying so hard to make this work," Sam explained as he watched Steve start piling the burgers on a plate. "We both realized that we have a connection we can't explain, and we wanted to see where it would lead. Obviously, I want this to work out. I mean, come on, I definitely hit the jackpot with her, but I'm realistic enough to admit that we might end up divorced within a month. All I know is, whatever happens, I can look back and say I took a chance on love."

"I actually came back here today to try to knock some sense in you," Bucky admitted as they all began to rise from the table. "But you seem to have a firm grasp on the reality of your situation, and dammit if I'm not starting to root for the two of you."

"Thanks, man," Sam said with a smile. "But you're still not forgiven for the steering wheel incident."

Scott and Vis looked confused for a moment, but they just shrugged their shoulders and followed the rest of the guys back into the house.

"Burgers are ready," Steve announced to the group of ladies gathered on the floor around the coffee table.

The women all rose and walked into the large kitchen where Rowan had set up the hamburger toppings and side dishes buffet style. Letting the newlyweds go first, everyone formed a line behind them to begin fixing their plates before heading back outside to sit around the patio table.

"So, I saw that you ladies had the scrapbook out," Steve said once they'd all had a seat and started eating. "Did you learn anything interesting, YN?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," she said with a mischievous smile. "I particularly liked the photos from your high school football days."

"Those were our glory days," Bucky said, a wistful look on his face. "We went all the way to State our senior year. Undefeated the entire season."

"A lot has changed since then," Steve said, looking over at Rowan with a goofy grin.

Peter took a long drink from his bottle and then tilted it in Bucky's direction. "Especially Bucky's hair."

"That was his rebellious phase," Maria explained with a roll of her eyes. "He got all broody and grew his hair out really long. Drove the girls crazy – he had a hoard of them that followed him around all year."

"I remember," Kieran said bitterly.

Bucky leaned over and brushed a knuckle down her face. "Hey, doll, don't worry about the past. You're my best girl now."

Watching the way Rowan and Steve, and Kieran and Bucky acted around each other made YN wonder if she and Sam would ever have that kind of relationship. She knew it was foolish to compare her relationship to theirs, but part of the reason she'd become a romance novelist was because she'd always dreamed of living her own fairytale love story. Sam's friends seemed to have found what she longed to have for herself and she couldn't help but to be a little bit jealous. 

Nat got up and headed toward the cooler to grab another beer. "Does anybody need another? Kieran? Steve? Rowan?"

"No, I'm good," Rowan said.

"Are you sure?" Nat asked. "You've only had one tonight, and you only had one on Friday."

"I said I'm good, Nat," Rowan snapped.

Nat swiped Rowan's beer from her before the other woman could stop her. "This is still full." Nat narrowed her eyes at her friend and gave her a quick once over. "There's something going on with you. What is it?"

"Nothing," Steve said, a little too quickly.

Nat shot a look toward Wanda and Maria and the three of them all began nodding their heads in agreement. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"What?" Rowan asked, trying to look shocked.

"Oh, my God," Peter said, a huge smile on his face. "I love babies – they're great chick magnets. Can I babysit?"

"No," Rowan and Steve said in unison.

Bucky shook his head in wonderment. "So you are pregnant."

Steve gave Rowan a defeated look before turning back to his friends. "We didn't want to say anything since this was supposed to be Sam and YN's night, but yeah, Rowan's about six weeks along. We're not telling anyone yet, so keep it to yourselves."

Everyone got up and took turns giving Rowan and Steve hugs and offering their congratulations. YN had only just met the couple, and she was happy for them, but now they truly were living her dream life. That little seed of jealousy just continued to grow and she shot a quick glance at Sam. She couldn't read the expression on his face, but she was almost certain that he was feeling a little jealous himself. 

 

Once they'd finished eating, they'd stayed around the table laughing and talking and sharing old stories for YN's benefit. She'd enjoyed the way that one person would start a story and then everyone else would chime in with their own version of the events. There had been a few times when two people had completely disagreed with how a certain event had transpired, but this tight-knit group of friends had a way of arguing with one another that wasn't malicious. They'd argue for a few minutes and then end up laughing it off. The topic of conversation would change and they'd forget about the disagreement within minutes. 

When the sun had started to slip behind the mountains in the distance, everyone tacitly agreed that it was time to call it a night. YN knew that most of them had to get up early in the morning to take care of their animals, and she was anxious to spend the rest of the evening alone with Sam, so she didn't mind that the party was breaking up a little early.

Sam led YN back to the truck and held the door open for her. She wasn't about to grow tired of his chivalrous ways anytime soon. Once he'd gotten in on his side, he started the engine and put the truck in gear. She turned around to look at the lovely home once more before they left.

"It really is a beautiful house," she told Sam as he started down the gravel driveway.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed, glancing back in the rear view mirror. "I've always loved that house, even as a kid."

"It seems like a great place to grow up," she said as she reached into her bag to grab her phone. She wanted to take a picture so she could have a visual reference when she wrote that house into one of her books.

"What's wrong," Sam asked when he noticed her digging through her bag.

"I can't find my phone," she told him with a frown. "I think I left it on the kitchen counter when we were cleaning up. Do you mind going back so I can look for it?"

"Sure," he said as he turned the truck around and started driving back toward the house.

As he approached the house, he started to apply the brakes, but the truck seemed sluggish to respond. He came to a stop near where he'd parked before and while YN ran back into the house to retrieve her phone, he began to look around.

"Is something wrong?" YN asked when she came back out with her phone in her hand.

"My truck is acting funny," he told her as he shined the flashlight from his phone on the ground where he'd previously been parked.

"Is that oil?" YN asked when Sam crouched down next to a small stain on the gravel.

Sam slid a finger across one of the rocks and then sniffed the fluid. "It's brake fluid."

"How do you know?"

"Brake fluid smells like fish oil," he explained. "Will you go get the guys and have them come help me take a look at my truck. Tell them to bring flashlights."

YN ran back into the house and soon everyone was outside trying to figure out what was going on. Sam and Steve were both on their backs under the truck while Peter and Bucky popped the hood and looked a the engine compartment from above. Tony, Scott, and Vis stood by with extra flashlights so the other men could see in the dark.

"Son of a. . ." Sam said as he and Steve crawled out from under the truck. "Someone cut the brakes on my truck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 11 of this story! The guys seemed to be having a more serious conversation than the ladies!  What did you think about Tony's admission?  What about Bucky's fears?  Were you happy about the news that Steve and Rowan are expecting?  Most of my AU's have Bucky with short hair like Seb's, but I much prefer him with his Winter Soldier locks!  Can't you just see him as that cocky bad boy back in high school?  Then I had to go and leave you on a cliffhanger!  Things aren't looking so good for Sam right now! I look forward to your comments!_


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure?" Nat asked.

Sam wiped his hands on his jeans as anger cast a dark mask over his features. "Yeah, I'm positive. The brake lines were cut with a knife – it's not normal wear and tear."

"Why would someone do this?" Steve asked, completely confused. "Maybe we should check all of the vehicles."

"I'm pretty sure it'll just be mine," Sam said.

"Do you think it's the same person?" YN asked.

"What are you talking about?" Wanda asked. "What else has happened?"

Sam took a deep breath before beginning to explain. "I didn't want to bring it up because I thought it was just a bunch of stupid kids playing pranks, but while I was in Vegas, someone slashed the tires on my cruiser. Trip was keeping an eye on the house and once he saw the damage, he had the car towed over to Rhodey's to get fixed, and then parked it at the station."

"Is that all?" Bucky asked, sensing that Sam wasn't being entirely forthright.

Sam gave an apologetic look toward YN before he told them the rest. "Saturday morning, Trip found the back of the station spray painted with a threatening message."

"Why didn't you tell me?" YN asked, suddenly angry that he'd kept something like that from her. "What did it say?"

Sam looked around at the concerned faces of his friends. He knew he should have come clean with them as soon as he realized that this problem wasn't going to go away, but he'd hoped to have the matter resolved before he had to worry any of them.

"It said 'Pigs get slaughtered – you'll get what's coming to you.' There was also a half-finished skull and crossbones, but it looked like the perp was interrupted before he could spray paint the skull."

"Sam, this is pretty serious," Tony warned. "Slashing your tires was one thing, but a death threat and then cutting the brake lines on your truck. You and YN could have been killed tonight."

"I know," Sam agreed as he pulled YN toward him. "Thank God you forgot your phone, and we were able to find this before we got out on the highway."

"You need to call Trip so you can get this on the record," Peter said, the usually jovial look on his face gone as he contemplated the seriousness of this situation.

"Who do you think is behind it?" Nat asked, casting a glance in the direction of Steve and Rowan. "I know who I think it is."

Sam gave Nat a frustrated look. "Trip and I checked, and Grant Ward is still in county lockup awaiting trial. We went over the list of guys that have gotten out in the last few weeks, and all of them check out. I honestly have no idea who's behind this."

 

It had taken almost an hour for Trip to get there and take photos of the truck. Sam had also called Rhodey to come tow the truck away once Trip had finished his report. Bucky and Kieran had ended up giving YN and Sam a ride back to the Sheriff's office so he could pick up his cruiser.

"I'd hoped to give you a ride in my cruiser," Sam said once they were both buckled in, "but not like this."

"I'm scared, Sam," YN admitted now that they were alone again.

He reached over and squeezed her hand. "I know. I am, too, but I know I'll find this guy. Trust me on that."

"I do, Sam," she said.

 

"Do you have to go to work?" YN asked as she slid her leg up and over Sam's hips the next morning. "I can think of a million other things we could do today."

Sam let out a groan as he looked at the clock on the nightstand. "As much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day, I have to be at work in about forty-five minutes."

She gave him a wink as she leaned down to capture his lips with hers. "I can work with that."

Forty-five minutes later, showered and completely satisfied, YN sat on the front porch and waved goodbye to her husband as he pulled away in his police cruiser. There was nothing like starting your day with a quickie and a hot cup of coffee. If this was what marriage to Sam was going to be like, she could quickly get used to it.

The morning was a little cooler than she would have liked, so she'd grabbed a blanket to wrap herself in as she watched the rays of light start to bounce off the leaves still on the trees in the front yard. Set against a brilliantly blue sky, the reds, yellows, and oranges seemed to glow as if on fire. She tried to focus her energy on creating a mental picture to remember for later, but her mind kept going back to Sam's safety. He'd assured her that he would be on alert for any other threats, but she still worried about him.

Letting her mind continue to wonder down dark paths wasn't going to help her, so she gave up on sitting outside in the cool Autumn morning and went back inside to try to get some work done. Maybe if she immersed herself in the book she was writing, she could forget about things that were out of her control.

Sam had set up her desk by the French doors leading out into the backyard. It wasn't the same as her sunroom back in Dayton, but it would do. She had a lovely view of the mountains peeking over the top of the privacy fence – the top of the range already covered in a thick blanket of snow. Sam had shown her the rough sketches he'd made of the sunroom he'd intended to build for her in the spring and she'd been touched to see how willing he was to make her feel at home here. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she focused on the screen in front of her as she delved back into the world of firefighters in Brooklyn, New York.

 

YN had a tendency to get caught up in her writing and completely tune out the world around her. Some days she would be so focused on a story that she would forget to eat. Today was one of those days. Desperate to keep her thoughts off of the danger Sam was in, she poured all of her energy into her two main protagonists who'd stupidly decided to pretend to be dating and were now trying to deny the fact that they were slowly falling in love with one another.

She'd just gotten to the part where they'd finally given in to their desires and had spent the night together in bed. Adding a little reality to the fiction she was writing, she began to describe some of the moves Sam had used on her in the past few days. She could feel the heat rising within her and she suddenly couldn't wait for her husband to come home so she try those moves out once again.

The sound of a car horn blaring outside had a squeal erupting from her as her heart pounded a quick staccato rhythm within her chest. Taking a moment to catch her breath and calm her nerves, she looked outside to see the sun starting to slowly dip toward the mountains. She quickly looked down at her watch and saw that it was already after five o'clock, and she was instantly angry at herself for not thinking to set an alarm so she could have dinner ready for Sam when he came home.

The car horn sounded again, so she shook her head to focus herself back in the here and now and rose to walk toward the front window. Peeking through the blinds, she saw Sam waving at her from the driveway as he stood next to an unfamiliar car.

"What's going on?" she asked as she walked out the front door to join him in the driveway.

"What do you think?" he asked, his arms outstretched as he leaned against a dark grey Subaru Outback.

"Is this. . .? Did you buy. . .?" She couldn't seem to form a complete sentence as she realized that Sam had bought her a car.

"Do you like it?" he asked again, suddenly unsure of himself. "I know it's probably not as nice as your car back in Dayton, but I wanted you to have a car of your own. I was going to let you drive the truck, but after the brake incident, I thought it would be best if you had something new – or at least new to you."

"I love it," she said as she walked around the station wagon. "I used to have an Outback in college and I adored that car. Where did you get it? Please tell me you didn't buy this brand new?"

"Unfortunately, it's used," he explained as he opened the driver's side door for her to slip behind the wheel. "Mack and Elena – the couple that bought the Café from Kieran – just found out they were expecting their third kid. Mack finally caved and agreed to buy a minivan, so I offered him a decent price for this and he took it. You really like it?"

She'd been playing with the various buttons and controls while he'd explained, but she turned back to give him a huge smile. Reaching up to cup his face in her hands, she brought his lips down to hers. "I absolutely love it. Thank you so much, Sam."

"I love the way you say thank you," Sam said with a wink.

"I'm not finished saying thank you yet," she teased, "but I doubt your neighbors would approve."

" _Our_ neighbors," he corrected as he pulled her from the car and pinned her against the side.

"Our neighbors," she agreed as his lips grazed over hers.

Her hands began tugging the uniform shirt from his waistband and he gently swatted them away. "Let's take this inside before the Sheriff gets arrested for indecent exposure."

 

The rest of the week followed the same pattern as Monday, but neither she nor Sam were complaining. She'd thought that the novelty of their relationship would wear off once they'd developed a routine in Montana, but she was wrong. The more time they spent together, the more they craved the other's company.

She did meet the girls for lunch one afternoon at the Cathedral Café. She'd originally balked at having to interrupt her writing in the middle of the day, but once she'd tried the hummus, she was instantly grateful that she'd broken her routine. She was also thankful that Sam's female friends were so willing to go out of their way to make her feel welcome. She missed her friends back in Dayton, but she could see herself developing a true friendship with these ladies.

"When was the last time you went riding?" Wanda asked once their plates had been cleared.

"Oh, my, I honestly can't remember," YN admitted. "It had to have been at my grandparent's farm back when I was in high school."

"Are they still living?" Rowan asked.

"Yes," YN answered with a huge smile. "They had to sell all of the horses a while back – they just weren't able to take care of them anymore."

"Have you told them about you and Sam yet?" Maria asked.

"No," YN said with a guilty look. "I wanted to make sure that things were going to work out between us before I said anything. Is that horrible of me?"

"Absolutely not," Nat said. "There's no sense in making them worry. I think it's smart to wait until you're sure about you and Sam. As for the riding, you should come out to Blackwater Falls this weekend with Sam. Wade and I were planning a ride out to the falls to see the leaves. He's gotten into photography all of sudden – something to do with these photos he's seen in the Daily Bugle. He's obsessed with the photographer and wants to try it out for himself."

"What is the Daily Bugle?" Maria asked.

"It's a newspaper out of New York City," Nat explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's Wade."

"Who's Wade," YN asked, curious since no one had mentioned that Nat had a boyfriend and he hadn't been at the cookout on Sunday.

"Wade is Nat's boy toy," Maria explained with a wink. "She only keeps him around for the supposedly amazing sex, but the poor man is hopelessly in love with her."

"Have you seen him without a shirt?" Nat asked Maria. "That man's body was carved by a god. He's a complete idiot, but he's great in the sack."

"Natalia," Wanda hissed, looking around to see if anyone had overheard her sister.

"You're such a prude, Wanda," Nat teased. "I see the smile on your face every morning. I know you and Vis have been tearing up the sheets. Don't judge me for doing the same thing as you, sweetie."

"Vis and I are actually in a relationship," Wanda snapped. "Which is more than I can say for you and Wade."

"Can we not have this argument again, little sister?" Nat asked, rolling her eyes. "We've strayed off topic anyway. About this weekend, what do you say, YN? You and Sam want to join us for a ride?"

"Let me check with Sam," she said, "and if he doesn't have any other plans, I'd love to."

 

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful. The temperatures had steadily risen all week and it was supposed to be a gorgeous day in the mid-sixties. Sam had been thrilled with the idea of a ride out to the falls and he was grateful that Nat had suggested it. He'd been worried that she might not take too well to YN – she had a tendency not to trust newcomers. Scott and Vis had been around for months and she still wasn't too keen on the idea of her sister dating the Brit.

After thoroughly checking out the truck for any signs of sabotage, Sam and YN headed out to Peter's ranch. YN hadn't been on this side of town and she was busy looking out the window as Sam drove. Every new sight she saw just made her fall more in love with her new home.

Sam took a left onto a gravel lane and soon they were driving under the archway. This one had stone pillars as its base, topped with wooden poles that supported the wrought iron sign that simply said 'Blackwater Falls.' As they continued up the drive, YN could see the house slowly appearing in the distance. It was a two-story ranch-style home with cedar siding and the same stone and wooden pillars supporting the roof over the wide front porch.

"If you keep going straight, you'll end up at the house," Sam explained as he veered to the right. "The barn and the worker's cabins are at the end of this road."

Once they'd parked, YN took a quick glance around the grounds. Peter currently had twenty horses and ten full-time employees to take care of the kids that were enrolled in his program. Wanda had explained how the operation worked the other day at lunch and YN was impressed with what he'd created here. Each of the employees had their own cabin, and the kids had one large, eight-bedroom cabin – four bedrooms on either side to separate the boys from the girls. The two wings were connected by a common room and kitchen. Each employee took a night to play sentry so the kids didn't decide to sneak into one another's rooms or try to run away.

When they walked into the barn, Wade and Nat already had the horses saddled and ready to go. Once introductions had been made, they'd set off toward the falls. Nat had said that it was only about a twenty minute ride through a thick copse of trees, but Wade had wanted to stop every so often to take pictures of the leaves highlighted by the rays of sun slipping through the heavy canopy. YN had even gotten her phone out a couple of times to snap a few pictures herself.

"So what do you do for a living, Wade?" YN asked once they'd started back toward the falls.

"I own the pizza parlor, Pies and Pints," he told with a proud look on his face. "We have a great New York style pie and the Chicago deep dish isn't too bad."

"I've been meaning to try it out," YN said with a smile. "I been so focused on my latest book, I haven't left the house too much this week."

"Maybe we can grab dinner there tonight," Sam suggested as they continued to ride.

The trail veered away from the trees toward a meadow before they began climbing a small hill. YN could hear the waterfall well before they'd caught sight of it.

"The trail curves around the top of the falls before slopping back down to get to the base," Nat explained as they came to a small bridge. "We can stop here and see it from above before we head down to the bottom."

Nat stopped and dismounted and everyone else followed suit. They left the horses grazing along the trail as they walked to the middle of the bridge and looked over.

YN was amazed at how beautiful the falls were. The entire cliffside was covered with a black rock that she wasn't familiar with. She could see where the falls had gotten their name, though.

"It's black obsidian," Sam explained. "We're in the only part of the state that has this type of rock. It was one of the reasons Peter was able to get such a good price for the land when he sold a few years ago."

"He refused to give up this part, though," Nat said as she leaned on the railing and looked over the edge at the water violently hitting the rocks below, "and I don't blame him."

They'd ridden down to the bottom so YN could get a better look at the waterfall, and she knew immediately that this location would be in one of her books eventually. A beautiful, secluded spot far away from prying eyes would be the perfect backdrop for a romantic encounter between two of her characters. As she gazed at the falling water, she began to envision the scene and played it over and over again in her mind so she would be able to remember it once she got back to her computer.

Nat had thought to bring a picnic, so they spread out a blanket and enjoyed their lunch with the sound of falling water serenading them in the background. YN found that she thoroughly enjoyed Wade's company, even if he was a bit odd and had a tendency to make comments that no one quite understood.

YN wasn't ready to leave just yet, but the trail through the trees got darker in the late afternoon once the sun started dipping toward the mountains. Reluctantly, she mounted her horse and followed Nat and Wade back up the slope toward the bridge above the falls. Sam was close behind her and she found herself looking back at him often – the sight of him on a horse making him seem even more attractive than he already was.

He'd ridden up beside her once they'd entered the meadow, and she looked over to smile at him. She was about to say something to him when a loud crack echoed across the field. She was momentarily confused until she saw the dark red stain slowly spreading across Sam's chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 12 of this story!  I know I'm shameless for having her writing one of my stories, but you're supposed to write what you know and right now my life is all about cowboys and firefighters!  Did you like the car he bought for her?  I'm a little partial to Subaru, and an Outback seemed like a good car for her.  Wade is making a return to our Saga. . .did you catch the reference to our favorite webslinger?  I know I have Peter written into this story elsewhere, but I had to at least allude to Spideypool!  Then there was that ending. . .wow!  What do you think is going to happen next? I look forward to your comments!_


	13. Chapter 13

"Sam," YN screamed as she watched his hand come up to his chest to touch the blood stain on his shirt.

Wade was quick to grab the reigns of Sam's horse, yelling at Sam to hold on as he began to gallop across the field. YN and Nat quickly followed, pushing their horses to the limits. YN could hear the sound of more gunshots and saw bullets hitting the ground all around her. Taking her cue from Nat and Wade, she began to force her horse in a zigzag pattern to make it harder for the shooter to hit them.

Once they'd made it to the tree line, they began to slow. YN rode up to Sam's side and saw that his face had gone ashy as the stain on his shirt continued to spread.

"We need to get pressure on this wound before he bleeds out," YN said as she came to a full stop and dismounted her horse. "Stop for a minute, Wade. I'm going to sit in front of Sam and try to stop the bleeding until we can get an ambulance out here."

"I've got service again," Nat said as she started dialing 911. "We need to keep moving in case he decides to follow us back to the ranch. I doubt he will since there are so many people there, but you never know."

"Can you lead my horse?" YN asked Nat as she took off her jacket and mounted Sam's horse. 

She was basically sitting in his lap, one hand holding her rolled up jacket against the bullet hole and the other one wrapped around his back for support. His eyes were starting to droop and she knew it would only be a matter of time before he passed out and she wasn't sure if she could keep him upright and keep pressure on the wound at the same time."

Nat jumped down and attached a lead rope to YN's horse as she explained the situation to the 911 operator. Wade was hesitant to leave her behind, but he, too, saw how bad Sam was and decided that getting him back to the ranch was the top priority.

By the time they'd reached the barn, the ambulance and the sheriff's deputy were waiting for them. Trip and the paramedics helped YN get Sam off of the horse and onto a stretcher. By the time they got him into the back of the rig, she was hot, sweaty, and covered in his blood. 

"You ride with the ambulance," Nat told her as Wade took the horses back to the barn. "I'll talk to Trip about what happened out there. I'm sure he'll be by the hospital to check on Sam and get your statement soon, but you need to be with Sam right now."

"Thank you, Nat," YN said, reaching out to hug the other woman before remembering that she was covered in blood. Giving her a nod and a weak smile, she climbed into the back of the ambulance and uselessly watched the paramedics begin to work on her husband.

Once they reached the ER, Sam was rushed back into a room and YN was ushered toward the front desk so she could give them her information. Realizing that she knew next to nothing about Sam's medical history, she felt extremely foolish. Luckily, everyone there knew him, and he'd been admitted before, so they had his records on file. She was relieved that she didn't have to admit to these people that she didn't know if her own husband was allergic to any medications, or if he had any other preexisting conditions they needed to know about.

Seeing the state of her clothes, one of the nurses took pity on her and led her to a bathroom with a set of surgical scrubs to change into. The blood on her shirt had dried, causing the fabric to stick to her skin. Gently pulling it off, she saw that the blood had completely soaked through her shirt and her skin was now tinted a dull shade of red. 

The severity of the situation came crashing down on her and she sank to her knees on the cold tile of the bathroom floor. She began to cry, and not wanting to draw attention to herself, she bit down on her fist so her sobs couldn't be heard on the other side of the door.

She didn't know how long she stayed on the floor crying, but eventually her concern for Sam had her pulling herself together. Grabbing a wad of paper towels, she wet them in the sink and did her best to wipe the blood from her skin. Once she was as clean as she could get, she pulled on the scrubs and placed her clothes in the plastic bag the nurse had given her.

Looking toward the room Sam had been in, she panicked when she saw that it was empty. Running to the nurses station, she frantically asked a nurse where he was.

"They took him up to surgery about five minutes ago, Mrs. Wilson," the elderly nurse explained in a comforting tone. "Don't be upset, they wouldn't have let you see him before he went up anyway. His condition is pretty severe and the doctors are doing everything they can to save him. I'll have an orderly take you up to the surgical waiting room."

YN was in a daze as a young man took her elbow and gently guided her to a bank of elevators. He was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear a word he said. She tried to focus on his voice, but the blood rushing through her ears made it impossible for her to concentrate.

He led her to a chair in an empty room and she instinctively sat down. She looked around the room, but her mind was incapable of processing her surroundings.

The orderly came back with a cup of water, and made her take a few sips. She eventually came out of her stupor long enough to thank him before he left to go back to the ER. The next few minutes seemed like hours as YN sat in the cheery waiting room holding onto a styrofoam cup like it was her only lifeline in this world. 

That's how Bucky and Kieran found her when they arrived. Being the closet ones to the hospital, they'd arrived first. Kieran sat down next to YN and pulled her into her arms. The comforting gesture had the opposite effect and soon YN was quietly sobbing on the other woman's shoulder.

Bucky stepped into the hallway to look out for the others as they got off of the elevator in small groups. Within fifteen minutes, the entire room was full of Sam's friends. Everyone spoke in quiet murmurs as they waited for the doctor to come back and give them an update.

When Trip walked through the door, YN shot to her feet. "Did you find him? Did you find who shot Sam?"

"I'm sorry, YN, but by the time we got a team out there, he was long gone," he explained. "We did find where he'd set up his rifle. He missed a few shell casings, and I'm pretty sure he's using a Ruger Precision Rifle. He was about five hundred yards away from you guys, so I'm guessing he's got some military training to be able to shoot that accurately, that far out."

"Do you have any suspects?" Steve asked. "There can't be that many ex-military guys with the type of training needed to pull off a shot like that. Plus, it has to be someone with a grudge against Sam."

"None of the guys we've put away recently fit that profile," Trip said. "I've got one of the other guys combing through the database looking for a hit."

"Wasn't Ward in the Army?" Bucky asked.

"Ward is still in county lockup," Trip said. "I called on my way over here and the warden said a guard had eyes on him in the yard. It can't be Ward."

"What about one of Ward's Army buddies?" Peter asked. "Those guys tend to stick together, even after they get discharged."

Trip narrowed his eyes as he began to think. "You know what, Peter, there is a guy who just got back from a tour in Afghanistan. From what I've heard he was supposed to have been good friends with Ward when they served together."

"Who is it?" YN asked, knowing she wouldn't know who he was, but wanting to put a name to the monster that had tried to kill her husband.

Trip gave her a sympathetic look. "His name is Brock Rumlow."

"Would a man really kill a police officer just for arresting his friend?" Maria asked in disbelief. "Slashing someone's tires and spray painting a building is one thing, but we're talking about attempted murder."

"I've heard Sam talk about Riley," Steve told her. "He'd only known that guy for a few years, and from the way it sounded, Sam would have been willing to take a bullet for him. There's something about fighting a war with someone that forms a bond between two men. You get a couple guys with a few screws loose, and who knows what they'd do for one another."

"Has there been any word on Sam?" Trip asked.

"Nothing yet," Wanda told him as she stood beside YN and held her hand.

Trip nodded. "Okay, I've got to get back to the station and do a background check on Rumlow. Will someone text me if there's an update on his condition?"

"I've got your number," Bucky told him. "Will you let us know if you find Rumlow?"

"You know I can't do that, Bucky," Trip told him as he headed toward the door. "You've got to trust me that if it's him, I'll catch him."

Once Trip had left, the men gathered in one corner of the room, and although YN couldn't hear them, she knew they were working up some type of plan to go after Rumlow. A part of her wanted them to go hunt him down, but the other part knew that Sam wouldn't want any of his friends putting themselves in danger for his sake. This was a matter best left to the authorities.

"Whatever you're planning," she said after a few minutes, "please don't. You know it would kill Sam if something happened to one of you guys."

They all turned to look back at her, but it was Steve who spoke first. "He'd do the same for us, YN."

"At least wait until after we've heard from the doctors," she reasoned.

The six men exchanged looks and slowly nodded their heads before going back to their seats. YN breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn't have to worry about them, as well as Sam, tonight.

The evening wore on as the hours ticked by with no word from the doctor. YN went back and forth on whether it was a good thing surgery was taking so long. As long as the doctor didn't walk through that door, she knew that Sam was still alive, but the longer it took meant that there was either too much damage to repair, or that they were struggling to keep him alive on the operating table. 

At a quarter to nine, a weary-eyed surgeon walked through the door and called her name. YN had been sitting beside Rowan with her head on the other woman's shoulder, but she jerked upright when she saw the doctor.

"I'm Mrs. Wilson," she told him, willing her voice not to crack. "How is Sam?"

"He's alive," the doctor said, causing everyone in the room to let out sighs of relief. "But he's still in critical condition. The bullet nicked one of the major vessels leading to his heart, and we had a time trying to repair it. He also had a collapsed lung from where the bullet punctured it before becoming lodged into one of the ribs in his back. We were able to remove the bullet and repair what we could. He'll be in the ICU for a few days while we monitor him."

"When can I see him?" YN asked.

"He's in recovery now," the doctor explained. "Once they move him to his room, we'll let you know. He'll only be allowed one visitor for fifteen minutes every two hours, so I suggest that you all go home for tonight."

The guys took turns shaking the surgeon's hand and thanking him for doing his best to save their friend. YN started crying again, and Rowan pulled her into her arms.

"It'll be okay," Rowan told her as she rubbed hand up and down her back. "One of us will stay with you tonight so you won't be alone, okay?"

"I'll stay," Nat said. "You guys all have someone to comfort you tonight, so I'll stay with YN."

"Are you sure, Nat?" Wanda asked. "What about Wade?"

"Wade's at the pizza parlor – it's Saturday night," Nat explained. "It's fine, I don't mind staying."

"I'll stay as well," Tony said as he walked up and wrapped an arm around his daughter. "The three of us will keep you guys updated if we hear anything."

As the couples took turns hugging YN and filing out of the room, YN tried to hold herself together. She reminded herself that Sam was alive and that he was strong. She was sure that he would pull through this and that Trip would find Brock Rumlow before he could cause anymore damage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 13 of this story! This part was so intense to write!  I have a tendency to put myself in the Reader's shoes as I write, so I couldn't help but become emotional as I wrote her struggling to stop the bleeding and then breaking down at the hospital.  She's a strong woman, but do you think she'll be able to withstand this?  Some of you had guessed that Brock Rumlow was our culprit and it seems like Trip is leaning toward him as well.  Do you think the guys are going to take matters into their own hands, or let the authorities do their job?  I look forward to your comments!_


	14. Chapter 14

Tony and Nat helped YN gather her things and move to the other side of the hospital where the ICU waiting room was located. The room looked almost identical to the one they'd just been in, with the exception of another couple sitting on the far side of the room.

Tony led YN to a seat with a view of the door. Sitting beside her, he took her hand and began rubbing small circles along her knuckles. 

"You've held up pretty well tonight," Tony told her. "I'm proud of you, kid."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Tony," YN said. "I'm a complete mess right now."

"Dad's right," Nat chimed in. "You handled yourself pretty well back at the ranch – jumping on that horse with Sam to stop him from bleeding out."

"Adrenaline," YN explained. "It was all adrenaline. Once I made it here, I broke down in the bathroom."

"And that's okay," Tony assured her. "The man you love was just shot. You held it together when he needed you the most. You're allowed to fall apart every now and then, that's why we're here with you."

"The man I love," YN repeated absentmindedly. "Oh, my God. I love him."

"You're just now realizing that?" Nat asked in disbelief. "I figured that out the first time I saw you with him."

"No, you don't understand, Nat. I've never told him I love him. He could die tonight, and he won't know how I feel about him."

"He knows," Tony said with a smile. "Trust me on that one."

The three of them fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for one of the nurses to come and get YN so she could see Sam. The exhaustion of the day started to take its toll on her and she began to drift off. She had just leaned her head back against the wall when Nat began to gently shake her awake.

"Mrs. Wilson," the nurse said with a warm smile. "You can come on back for a few minutes."

YN jumped up and shot a worried look toward Tony and Nat before she followed the nurse through the double doors leading into the ICU. "How is he?"

"I'm going to warn you now before you see him," the nurse began, "he's in pretty bad shape. He's still hooked up to the ventilator until his lung re-inflates. Hopefully by tomorrow, he'll be breathing on his own again. There are a lot of monitors and tubes, so don't be alarmed."

"Okay," YN said, completely unprepared to see Sam in that condition.

When the nurse pulled the curtain aside, YN's eyes immediately filled with tears. She rushed to his side, but stopped herself from reaching out to touch him. She was terrified of knocking something loose, so she stood by his bed and wrung her hands as the tears started falling down her cheeks.

"You can hold his hand, sweetie," the nurse told her as she checked one of the machines.

YN pulled the visitor's chair closer to his side and sat down so she could gently slip his hand into hers. "Can he hear us?"

"Some people wake up and tell us that they heard every word we say," the nurse explained, "so we tell everyone to talk to their loved ones, just in case they're listening. I'll give you about fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Thank you," YN told her as the nurse pulled the curtain shut to give them some privacy.

"You had me scared to death, did you know that?" YN asked him, knowing he wouldn't answer her. "I've never been so scared in my life. I think I finally understand what you meant when you told me that story about Riley. I felt the same way you did – there was absolutely nothing I could do but try to get you to safety. 

"I don't know what I'd do if things had turned out differently today. I know I shouldn't be dwelling on the what-ifs, but I realized something today, Sam. I realized that I love you. Tony seems to think you already know that, and Nat is pretty sure you feel the same way about me, but I really need you to wake up so I can actually tell you. You may be able to hear me now, and that's great, but I need to hear you say it back to me. 

"I can't believe that I'm actually sitting here telling you that I love you and I've only known you two weeks. This whole adventure has been crazy, and it's still not over yet. Trip thinks that the man behind this is a guy named Brock Rumlow. I don't know if you know him, but apparently the guys think he's targeting you for arresting Grant Ward. Rowan filled me in on that story while you were in surgery. I knew there was more to their story than you'd let on."

YN paused, not sure what else to say. Deciding that she's said enough, she held onto his hand with one of her own and ran the other down the side of his face. He looked so weak – weaker than she'd ever seen him and it frightened her. She knew that people recovered from gunshot wounds all of the time, but seeing him here, like this, she couldn't imagine him bouncing back from this any time soon.

It had only felt like she'd been there a few minutes when the nurse came back and informed her that it was time to go. 

"You can stay in the waiting room all night if you want," she explained as she led her back through the double doors. "You can see him again on the even hours. He's going to be unconscious for the next twelve to eighteen hours, so you might want to go home and get some rest. We can call you if there's any changes."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to stay," YN told her. "I want to be close by in case he wakes up, or if he takes a turn for the worse. Either way, I'll be right here."

The nurse nodded her head and pointed toward a button on the wall by the double doors. "Okay, sweetie, just press this button when it's time for you to go back and see him. Remember, only one person at a time, so if any of his friends want to visit, they'll have to take turns."

"Thank you," YN told her as she made her way back to the waiting room to let Tony and Nat know how Sam was doing.

 

The rest of the night seemed to drag on. YN had set alarms on her Fitbit to let her know when it was time to go back and see Sam. Every time she saw him, he was the same. 

When he'd been out of surgery for twelve hours, the doctor came to see her. He explained that since Sam had made it this far, he was almost positive that he would pull through. The doctor had checked his lung and decided to remove the breathing tube. YN was a nervous wreck as she waited to see if Sam would start breathing on his own.

The doctor came back about ten minutes later and told her that not only was he breathing on his own, but that he was awake and asking for her. It wasn't her scheduled time to visit, but he was making an exception so she could actually talk to Sam. 

"Hey gorgeous," Sam croaked as she walked past the curtain.

She hurried to his side and leaned down to brush a kiss on his cheek. "I'm so glad you're awake. I was so worried."

"It'll take more than a bullet to keep me down," he told her before going into a coughing fit.

A nurse rushed in with a cup of water and placed the straw into Sam's mouth. "Small sips, Sheriff Wilson."

When he'd caught his breath again, YN held out a hand to keep him from speaking again. "Don't overdo it. We'll have plenty of time to talk later. Right now you need to rest. They're going to kick me out of here in a few minutes, but I'll be in the waiting room and I'll come back to see you whenever they let me."

"Who did it?" Sam asked. "The doctor said he didn't know."

"Trip is looking into it," YN explained, "but he's almost positive it's a guy named Brock Rumlow. Apparently, he was in the Army with. . ."

"Grant Ward," Sam finished. "Son of a. . ."

"Trip isn't a hundred percent sure, yet," YN reasoned.

"No," Sam disagreed. "Rumlow makes perfect sense. I looked out into that field before we raced back to the tree line – I didn't see a soul out there. Rumlow is one of the only men around here who could've made that shot. I'd heard he'd become a sniper in Special Forces after Ward got out and moved back here."

"You don't need to be worrying about that right now. You need to focus on getting better. Trip and the other deputies are taking care of this."

"What if he comes after you?" Sam asked, worry etched on his face. "Since I'm in here, he might try to get to you."

"I doubt your friends are going to let me be alone right now," YN reasoned. "I'm sure one of the girls would be willing to stay with me until you're out of the hospital. Trip can post a deputy outside the house at night, and I'll be here all day long. I'll be fine, Sam."

"Okay," he agreed. "Talk to the girls. I'd feel better if one of the guys stayed there as well. Peter's pretty good with a gun, see if he'll sleep on the couch for a few nights. You need to be on guard right now, YN – it's not safe."

 

YN did as he'd asked and for the next few nights, Peter slept on the couch and Wanda, Nat, and Maria had taken turns sleeping in the guest bedroom. Everyone had put their foot down when Rowan had asked to join the rotation. YN wasn't about to put a pregnant woman in the line of fire if she could help it. Steve was already worried that Rumlow would come after them next and he wanted to keep Rowan as far out of the spotlight as possible.

 

After three days, the doctors decided to release Sam to come home. Trip hadn't had any luck hunting Rumlow down, and YN was constantly worried that he was going to appear out of nowhere and finish what he'd started last Saturday. Sam was gradually getting angrier and angrier as the days passed without any word on Rumlow's location.

YN had helped take care of her grandfather one summer when a horse had thrown him and he'd broken his leg, but it hadn't prepared her for dealing with an injured Sam. Most men were known for being cranky when they were sick or injured, but Sam took it to a whole other level. YN tried to rationalize his foul mood to the fact that they hadn't caught Rumlow and he was worried about the next attack, but enough was enough.

"When did Trip say he was coming by?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed in frustration as he paced the living room on his cane. "I thought he said he'd be here by six. It's almost seven o'clock and I haven't heard a word from him. I need an update on this case. . ."

"Sam," YN said, trying to calm him down. "I'm sure he's on his way. He probably just got caught up doing his job and lost track of time."

"Don't tell me to calm down," he yelled at her. "I need to be out there looking for Rumlow myself. It's been almost a week and no one has seen or heard from him."

"You will not be going out to hunt him down," YN yelled right back at him. "You almost died, Sam, and I'll be damned if you try to kill yourself looking for this maniac. Let Trip and the other deputies do their job. You need to be resting before you wind up back in the hospital."

"You don't understand," Sam continued.

"I do understand, Sam," YN argued. "He shot you. He was shooting at all of us that day. I'm just as scared as you are that he's going to show up here out of the blue and gun us down in our sleep. I have nightmares about that very thing happening, so I understand completely."

"Then you need to understand why I need to do something about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 14 of this story! Tony is such a wonderful father figure and love writing him in that role!  Did you enjoy her conversations with Sam?  They were finally getting to the point that they were ready to admit that they had truly fallen in love, but this situation with Rumlow is starting to take its toll.  What do you think Sam meant by his last statement?  Do you think he's going to do something stupid? I look forward to your comments!_


	15. Chapter 15

YN was about to say something she'd probably regret later when the doorbell rang.  Giving Sam a stern look, she went to answer the door.

"Trip, thank God you're here," she said as she let the deputy in the door.  "Sam's been losing his mind for the past hour."

"YN," Sam warned.

"What? It's true.  You've been ranting and raving for the past hour and I'm worried you're going to bust your stitches."

"I'm sorry I'm late," Trip said, instantly uncomfortable at having interrupted what appeared to be an intense argument.  "I was checking out an anonymous tip I got."

"And?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," Trip admitted.  "It was bogus.  Old Stan thought he saw someone lurking in his backyard, but it just turned out to be someone's leftover Halloween decorations."

"This is ridiculous, Trip," Sam said as he collapsed in a chair.  "Where in the hell is he?  Someone has to be hiding him.  Who does he still know well enough around here that would be willing to go down for aiding and abetting?"

"No one," Trip said as he worried the brim of his hat between his fingers.  "We've talked to everyone that's ever had any history with him, and no one has seen him. They've all let us search their property, so we know they're not lying.  He's like a ghost, Sam."

"I can't listen to this anymore," YN said as she left the room.

Sam waited until she'd slammed the bedroom door before turning back to Trip.  "This is taking a toll on her.  This is not what she signed up for when she decided to move out here."

"You two seemed to be in the middle of something when I showed up," Trip said a bit hesitantly.  "Are you guys doing okay?"

"I'm on edge," Sam explained, "and I keep taking it out on her.  I know she doesn't deserve it, and she's doing the best she can under the circumstances, but I feel completely useless hiding out at home while you guys are out there looking for Rumlow."

"You need to talk to her, Sam.  She's been like a rock this past week and you need her.  Who else is going to take care of you?"

"That's just it.  She's stepped up and shouldered more than I thought she could, but I hate seeing her so stressed out.  I'd suggest she head back East until we catch Rumlow, but I know she'll never hear of it."

"So, you're basically picking fights with her so she'll decide to go on her own?" Trip asked, raising an eyebrow in accusation.

Sam opened his mouth to protest and then thought better of it.  "Maybe.  Hell, I don't know.  All I do know is that I would worry less about her if I knew she was a couple thousands miles away from here."

"Talk to her Sam," Trip said again as he started for the door.  "Tell her what you just told me.  She might fight you on it at first, but I'm sure you can make her see reason."

"You're right," Sam told his friend as he got up and followed him.  "I'll talk to her tonight.  Maybe I can convince her to go visit her friends for a while until this dies down."

Sam glanced outside as Trip headed back to his cruiser.  He waved at the other deputy sitting across the street before he shut the door and locked it.  He set the alarm and headed toward the bedroom to talk to YN. 

Opening the door, he found her sitting in the chair looking out the window toward the back yard.  "What are you doing?"

YN jumped as he yelled at her.  "Nothing.  I'm just sitting here."

"You can't just sit in the window, YN," Sam continued to yell as he stalked across the room and pulled the curtains closed.  "You're a sitting duck right now.  Rumlow could have killed you without batting an eye.  You've got to be more careful."

She started to cry and Sam instantly felt like an ass.  He was doing it again.  He'd come in here to talk to her and somehow he'd ended up yelling at her instead.

"I can't do anything right," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.  "I don't know what you want from me right now."

"I just want you to be safe," he said, trying to keep his voice level and calm.

"I want this to be over as much as you do," she said, completely defeated, "but I can't keep living like this. I feel like a prisoner in my own home and it doesn't help that you're constantly yelling at me."

"I'm sorry," he said, feeling horrible for making her cry.  "I just can't concentrate when I'm constantly worried about you."

"I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you, Sam," she snapped.  "I'm just trying to help you get better, but you end up criticizing every single thing I do.  I don't how much more of this I can take."

"Maybe it'll be best if you head back home. . ." Sam began, immediately regretting his choice of words when he saw the look of shock on her face.

"You know, you're probably right," she said.  "I should go home.  At least there, I won't have to deal with a homicidal maniac and a husband who's constantly yelling at me."

"I didn't mean it like that" Sam said, trying to fix the mess he'd suddenly found himself in.

She shook her head and made her way to the closet.  "No, I think you did, Sam. I think you meant it exactly the way you said it.  You don't want to deal with me right now because you have bigger things to worry about."

"YN."

"I'm done talking to you right now," she told him as she began to throw some clothes in a bag.  "We were stupid to think that this could actually work.  I mean, come on, we've only known each other for three weeks. Everything was fine when it was just sex, but now that things have gotten real, it's obvious that we don't belong together."

"YN, you're being ridiculous," Sam said as he tried to stop her from pulling clothes from their hangers.

"Ridiculous?" she screamed at him.  "I'm being ridiculous?  You're the one who's kicking me out when all I've ever done was try to take care of you."

"This is not how I wanted to have this conversation."

"I'm so sorry that your little break-up speech isn't going the way you planned it," she said as she zipped the bag shut and started rolling it toward the living room.

"I'm not trying to break-up with you, YN," Sam yelled as he struggled to follow her.  "I just want you to be safe, and right now you're not safe with me."

"For some reason, I have a hard time believing you right now," she told him as she started to put on her coat.

"You are not leaving right now," Sam yelled as he tried to grab the keys from her.  "It's pitch black dark and you don't have anywhere to go."

"Watch me."

She jerked the keys out of his hand and headed for the garage where her car was parked.  Not sparing him another glance, she got in and started the engine. 

Before he could make it down the short flight of stairs to the garage, she was gone.  Sam cursed himself for screwing this up.  Maybe she just needed a little bit of time to blow off some steam, but Sam wasn't too sure about it.  Deciding to err on the side of caution, he texted Trip.

_"Hey, man, I screwed up big time.  She packed a bag and headed out of here in a hurry.  I'm not sure where she's going, but my best guess is the airport in Missoula.  Would you mind following her out of town to make sure that's she okay?"_

Trip texted him right back. 

_"No problem.  I'm heading out now.  I'll text you when I'm sure she's safe."_

Sam headed back in the house and went straight to the fridge.  Painkillers be damned, he needed a beer right now.  He might have just screwed up the best thing that'd ever happened to him and he wanted to wallow for a bit.

 

YN struggled to focus on the road through the tears that were clouding her vision.  The past few days had been rough on both of them, but there was only so much she could take.  Maybe he had been trying to get her to go back to Dayton until this thing with Rumlow was resolved, but right now she was having a hard time giving him the benefit of the doubt. 

She'd tried so hard to make sure that he was comfortable and healing, and all he'd done for the past three days was yell at her for the least little thing.  She knew he was under a lot of stress, but that wasn't an excuse to take it out on her.

Finally calming herself down a bit, she tried to pay attention to the road.  She was pretty sure that once she got on Route 93, it was a straight shot to Missoula.  She'd just have to follow the road signs to the airport once she got there. 

Looking down at the clock, she realized that she may be spending the night in a hotel if they didn't have a late flight out, but anywhere was better than spending another night with Sam yelling at her.  She focused back on the road and made the turn onto the highway. 

She hadn't gone more than five miles when a pair of headlights appeared in her rear view mirror.  Surely Sam wasn't stupid enough to come after her in his condition.  More than likely, he'd called Trip to follow her to Missoula.  She waited a few miles to see if the car would turn off, and when it didn't, she decided that he had called his deputy to check up on her.  She didn't know if she should feel happy that he was looking out for her safety, or angry that he didn't think she could make it out of town on her own.

When the car behind her turned on their brights, she squinted and adjusted the mirror to keep the glare out of her eyes.  Wondering why Trip would have done something like that, she started to speed up a bit.  The car behind sped up as well. 

She started to get worried when it crept closer to her.  It wasn't until it was right up behind her that she realized that it was a truck, not a police cruiser.  Her heart started to pound as her mind went to the worst case scenario.  She didn't have long to contemplate her predicament before the driver of the truck punched the gas and rammed into her rear bumper.  She grasped the wheel and tried to keep the car on the road, but the truck behind her kept ramming her over and over again.  She sped up, but the truck kept coming at her.  She finally tried to switch lanes as he rammed her one last time sending her into a tailspin that she couldn't recover from. The last thing she remembered was holding her arms over her face as the car spun toward the ditch on the side of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 15 of this story! How frustrated are you with Sam right now? He and Trip had such a great conversation about his behavior toward the Reader and then he had to go and screw everything up with her when he tried to talk to her. Granted, she's to blame as well, but have you ever tried to deal with a sick man? Ugh! They are the worst! Now things aren't looking too good for our Reader. What do you think will happen next? I look forward to your comments!_


	16. Chapter 16

Sam had been pacing the living room for that past thirty minutes.  Trip should have texted or called by now and he was starting to get worried.  He kept glancing up at the clock, and for once, time seemed to be flying by as he waited for an update on YN.

When the doorbell rang, he hurried toward the door as fast as he could.  He wasn't prepared to find Steve, Bucky, and Peter standing next to Trip.  Realizing what this meant, his legs started to give out from under him.  Steve reached out and grabbed him before he hit the floor.

"Is she dead?" Sam asked as he held onto his friend for support.  "Please tell me she's not dead."

"We don't know, Sam," Trip said as he ushered everyone into the house.  "I left as soon as I got your text, but by the time I made it to Route 93, it was too late.  I found her car in the ditch about fifteen miles out of town.  The rear end had a lot of damage, like someone had rammed her from behind."

"She wasn't in the car?" Sam asked, suddenly confused.  "Where is she?"

"I think Rumlow has her," Bucky said, speaking aloud the fear that everyone else was thinking.  "I think he saw her leaving town and took a chance."

"And we don't know where the hell he is," Sam said as he jerked away from Steve.  "Why can't we find this guy?"

"I don't know, man," Peter said, trying to keep Sam calm, "but we can't loose our heads right now.  YN might still be alive. . ."

"She's with him," Sam argued.  "If we don't find her tonight, he'll kill her.  This is all my fault."

"You can't blame yourself," Steve said, laying a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"You don't understand, Steve," Sam explained.  "We had a fight and I said some stupid things.  She thought I was trying to break-up with her and she got mad and stormed out of here.  So, yeah, this is all my fault."

"Okay, so you two had a fight and she left," Peter said.  "That doesn't mean this is your fault.  This is on Rumlow.  He's been looking for a opening since he shot you last Saturday.  If it hadn't been this, it would have been something else.  You can't blame yourself for the things he's doing.  You'll drive yourself crazy thinking like that."

"Peter's right," Trip agreed.  "We know Rumlow is laying low, but he's jumped at every opportunity he's had to strike out at you.  Until we know where he is, he'll always been one step ahead of us."

"Then we need to find out where is he," Sam said.

"We've asked everyone we know," Trip reminded him.

"Did anyone ask Ward?" Sam asked, a sudden realization hitting him.

"Ward's in jail," Bucky reminded him.  "He can't be helping him."

"No," Sam agreed, "but he might know where he would go to hide.  Those two were thick as thieves growing up.  I'd be willing to bet Ward knows where he is – we just never thought to ask."

Peter looked around the room, but no one else had a better suggestion.  "Okay, I guess we're making a trip to county lockup tonight."

"Trip, you head back to the station and round up all of the deputies," Sam instructed as he grabbed his coat and started easing himself into it.  "I'll go with the guys to the jail to talk to Ward.  Once I find out Rumlow's location, I'll radio you and you can meet us there."

Steve held out a hand to stop Sam from walking out the front door.  "You're not going.  You were just shot, Sam, be reasonable about this."

"If it were Rowan out there, would you be reasonable?" Sam asked.  "That's my wife, Steve."

A look came over Steve's face and Sam knew he'd made his point.  "I've had too many painkillers and too much alcohol to drive, so someone else has to do that."

"We'll take my truck," Peter said.  "I've got the light bars so we'll be able to see if we have to off-road it."

Sam followed his friends to Peter's truck while Trip walked across he street to let the deputy on duty know what was going on.  Trip gave the men a salute as they headed off toward the jail twenty miles out of town.

The guard on duty was hesitant to allow Sam to see Ward, but once he'd pulled his badge and explained the situation, he was shown to an interview room while they went to get Ward.  

Sam hadn't seen him since his arraignment almost a year ago.  The legal system had a tendency to take its time, but Sam was glad Ward was still here instead of the federal penitentiary in Deer Lodge.  It would have taken them hours to get there and they didn't have that kind of time to waste.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Ward asked as he was led into the room, his hands and legs shackled together.

"I have reason to believe that your old buddy Brock Rumlow is trying to enact revenge on me for putting you in here," Sam explained in a tone that could only be described as icy.

Ward reached up to scratch the stubble along his jaw.  "Is that so?  You can't think that I have anything to do with that?  I've been sitting in here for the past year."

"He has my wife," Sam said, his fist slamming down on the table.

"Your wife?" Ward asked in confusion.  "When did you get married?"

"That's not the point.  The point is that Rumlow ran her car off of the road and abducted her.  He's already put a bullet in me, and I'll deal with him on that score, but hurting my wife is another matter altogether."

"Woah, woah, woah," Ward stuttered, his face going ashy.  "I didn't tell him to go after your wife – just you, man."

"So, you did send him to kill me."

"I didn't tell him to kill you," Ward clarified.  "I just said that if you were in some type of accident, then you'd've had it coming."

"Do you know where he is or not?"

"I just want you to know that I don't condone hurting women," Ward said, his voice rising in his panicked state.  "I'd never hurt a woman.  He crossed a line taking your wife."

"Do you know where he is?" Sam yelled, standing up and getting in Ward's face.

"There's a cave we used to hide out when we were kids and wanted to get away for a bit," Ward admitted, terrified that Sam might actually kill him if he didn't talk.  "I can draw you a map."

Once they had the directions to Rumlow's hideout, Sam snapped a picture and texted it to Trip.  He and the guys then got back in the truck and headed back to Thousand Oaks.

 

The cave was located about a mile past Blackwater Falls which explained how Rumlow had been able to take his shot at Sam.  He must have been keeping a lookout and caught them in his crosshairs on their way out to the falls.  He knew they'd be heading back to the ranch the same way they'd come, so it would have been simple for him to move into position and be ready for them when they crossed the meadow.

Peter hadn't known about the cave since it was just past the old property lines of his ranch.   He'd been content to hang out at the falls and hadn't ventured further than that as a kid.  From Rumlow's hideout in the cave, it was only a short distance from Sam's house.  With a set of night vision goggles, he could have kept an eye on the house and saw YN leave.  He might not have known where she was going, but somehow he'd gotten lucky.

As they drove back up Route 93, Sam kept a lookout for the turnoff leading to the cave.  Ward had said that it was just past a line of pines on the right hand side, and if you didn't know to look for it, you'd miss it.  A storm had started to roll in as they drove, and the night sky was periodically illuminated by the bolts of lightning streaking through the clouds.

 

YN's head was killing her as she slowly started to come to.  She tried to sit up, but her hands and feet were bound together with rope.  

She heard the sound of footsteps echoing throughout the room, so she pretended to still be unconscious in hopes that he wouldn't pay attention to her.  She lay as still as she could, but when she felt his hot breath against her cheek, she couldn't stop herself from recoiling.

"I thought you were awake," Rumlow said with a chuckle.  "You put up quite the fight, princess."

"Why am I still alive?" she asked, not wanting to play games with this madman.

"Do you want me to kill you?" he asked, reaching for his knife.  "I can make that happen, you know?"

"If you're going to do it, just get it over with," she told him, trying to pretend that he didn't terrify her.

"I can see why Wilson loves you," Rumlow mused as he studied the edge of his blade in the dim candlelight.

"You're wrong."

"About what?"

"Sam doesn't love me," she told him.  "I was leaving him tonight when you ran me off the road.  He told me to go back home because he couldn't be bothered with me anymore."

"Is that so?" Rumlow asked, not believing her for a moment.  "I guess I should just let you go, then.  Right?"

"Sam's a good man," she admitted.  "He'll be upset if something happened to me, but it won't have the impact you're hoping for."

"See, I just don't believe you," he told her as he leaned in closer to her.  "I've been watching the two of you for the past couple of weeks.  Sometimes you forget to close the curtains in the bedroom.  He's got it bad for you, sweetheart, and I know it's going to kill him when he finds your dead body in the morning."

A shiver of revulsion went through her as she thought about this cretin watching her and Sam for the past few weeks.  She could tell that he was completely crazy and he meant every word he said.  She also knew that no one knew where they were – she didn't even know where they were.  Somehow, she was going to have to get herself out of this situation on her own.

Rumlow went back to knife, pulling out a small stone so he could sharpen the blade.  She hated to think of what he planned to do to her with that knife, but if she was smart enough, she just might be able to figure out a way to turn it on him.

She took a moment to survey her surroundings and realized that they were in some type of cave.  She could feel a breeze coming from in from the opening and she saw the flame of the candle flicker as it became stronger.  Remembering that the forecasters had called for a thunderstorm late tonight, she tried to figure out a way to use that to her advantage.

Other than a bedroll and a few pots and pans, there wasn't anything in the cave.  Rumlow must have really been roughing it these past few weeks.  It looked as though the knife in his hands was the only weapon available to her.  Coming up with a plan, she decided to try her luck.

"I need to use the bathroom," she whispered, trying to sound embarrassed for asking.

"Just go in your pants," he told her with a sneer.

"Do you want to smell stale piss all night long?" she bit back at him, hoping he'd get annoyed with her and take her outside.

"Fine," he said, standing up and grabbing the rope binding her hands together.

She let out a scream as he pulled her upright.

"Oh, you hadn't noticed yet," he taunted with a smirk.  "I guess your adrenaline levels were too high for you to feel the pain of that broken arm.  You'll feel it now, princess."

He'd been right about the adrenaline numbing the pain, but now that she was aware of it, she couldn't think about anything else.  Her stomach began to roll as threw her over his shoulder and began to carry her outside.  

Pushing down the pain and nausea, she tried to focus on the waistband of his jeans.  She'd seen him holster his knife on his right before he'd grabbed her.  As luck would have it, he'd thrown her over his right shoulder and she could see the hilt sticking out just below her bound hands.  Trying to reach for the knife had a spear of pain shooting right through her and she almost passed out.  Taking a deep breath, she pushed the pain down and stretched her arms as far as she could.

She wasn't sure how much time she had left, so she grabbed the hilt and pulled the knife free from its holster.  He felt the movement, but before he could react, she drove the knife into his kidney.

Screaming out in pain, he let her drop to the cave floor.  Without her arms free to break her fall, she landed on her side and her head bounced off the hard rock below her.  A wave of nausea rolled through her and she fought against the urge to black out.  

She could still hear him screaming and cussing as he tried to pull the knife free from his back.  Rolling to her stomach, she got her knees under her and was able to use her good arm to push herself up.  She could see the entrance to the cave just ahead of her so she rocked back on her heels and pulled herself into a standing position.  Her feet were still bound together, but she was desperate to get away from Rumlow.  She'd hop all the way back to Dayton if that's what it took, but she wasn't spending another second in that cave.  

She'd made it about ten feet when a bolt of lightning lit up the sky outside.  She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the outline of man standing at the entrance of the cave.  Just when she thought she had a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 16 of this story!  Were you surprised that Sam and the boys took matters into their own hands? Were you shocked that Grant Ward was behind Rumlow's attacks on Sam? I have a soft spot for Ward (don't ask me why), so I couldn't make him completely responsible for Rumlow's actions. I can't see Ward hurting an innocent woman, but that's totally in character for Rumlow! Were you proud of the Reader for outsmarting Rumlow enough to stab him in the back? Who do you think is at the entrance of the cave? Is it Sam, or have I pulled another one on you, and Rumlow has a secret accomplice? I look forward to your comments!_


	17. Chapter 17

If it hadn't been for the lightning, Sam wasn't sure if he would've been able to see the turnoff. A bolt lit up the sky just as they were approaching the end of the pines. Sam called out to Peter and he barely had time to slow down enough to make the turn without flipping the truck.

From there, they followed the narrow dirt path for a couple hundred yards until they ran out of road. The rest of the way would have to be traveled on foot. They parked the truck and each of them began to check their guns before grabbing flashlights and heading toward the small outcropping of rock about a half a mile ahead of them.

Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and Bucky held up a hand for them to stop. He began to backtrack a bit until he came a small copse of trees. Pushing aside a few branches, he uncovered the grill of a truck. A quick glance showed the damage Rumlow must have done as he rammed YN's car off the road. Sam swore as he motioned for them to keep going.

The wind had picked up considerably by the time they'd made it to the base of the cliff. They could just make out a dim light about twenty feet above them, so they knew they were in the right spot. Searching along the bottom of the cliff, they finally found a pathway that seemed to lead toward the mouth of the cave.

Sam pulled the men together and began to whisper his plan. "Steve and I will take care of Rumlow. Bucky, you and Peter get YN and get her back to the truck. If she's hurt, you take her straight to the hospital. We'll hold off Rumlow until Trip can get here with backup."

"That's a horrible plan, Sam," Peter said. "You're in no condition to fight anyone, let alone someone like Rumlow."

"He tried to kill me," Sam reminded him, "and he tried to kill my wife. I'm taking him down. Be glad I'm keeping Steve here to help me."

Bucky tapped his wrist. "Guys, we're wasting time. We need to get a move on if we hope to have any chance of saving YN."

"Okay, let's go," Sam said as he began to head up the path to the cave.

Once he'd gotten closer to the entrance he could hear the screams coming from Rumlow. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he prayed that YN was okay. Peering over the edge, he looked into the cave and let out a relieved sigh. YN was tied up and laying on the floor of the cave, but she was alive. Rumlow was struggling to remove a knife from his back and Sam instantly felt a surge of pride that YN had been able to get the upper hand on him.

He rushed to the edge of the cave just as she was getting to her feet. He saw the bolt of lightning flash across the sky in his peripheral vision, and he saw the flash of fear in her eyes.

"YN," he called out, hoping she would recognize his voice.

"Sam?"

He ran toward her and pulled her into his arms. She let out a scream and he realized that he'd somehow hurt her.

"It's my arm," she told him. "It's broken."

Before Sam could say anything, Steve rushed past him toward Rumlow who'd managed to get the knife free and was coming at them.

"Bucky, Peter," Sam yelled. "Get her out of here."

YN's hands and feet were cut free and before she could offer a word of protest, Bucky was pulling her toward the entrance of the cave and down the path.

"Wait," she cried out. "What about Sam and Steve?"

"They're taking care of Rumlow," Bucky explained as he grabbed her hand and continued leading her away from the cave. "We need to get you to the hospital. That arm doesn't look good."

"Sam just got out of the hospital," she argued. "He's in no condition to fight right now."

"Try telling him that," Peter said as they continued running back to his truck. "Trip and the rest of the Sheriff's Department are on their way as we speak. I'm hoping we'll run into them so we can show them where to go."

Just as he finished speaking, they heard the sounds of dogs and men running through the brush. They saw the flashlights and stopped running, their hands held up in the air.

"It's just us, Trip," Bucky called out, hoping they wouldn't get shot by Sam's deputies.

"Where's Sam?" Trip asked as he ran the rest of the way to meet them.

"Back that way," Peter said, pointing over his shoulder. "It's about a half a mile to the cave entrance. We left Sam and Steve with Rumlow. He had a knife, but Sam and Steve have guns. If you hurry, you might get there before Sam kills him."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Trip said as he motioned for his team to follow him toward the cave.

Bucky and Peter started for the road, but YN didn't budge. "I'm not leaving, guys. I'll stay here if you want me to, but I'm not going anywhere until I know that Sam's safe. I'm sure there's an ambulance on its way, and I'm fine with waiting for the paramedics to splint my arm."

Realizing that she wasn't leaving without a fight, Bucky and Peter turned back and stood on either side of her. They both drew their weapons, just in case.

 

Steve had tackled Rumlow to the ground and the two of them wrestled around for the knife before Rumlow got the upper hand and elbowed Steve in the jaw. Steve saw stars, but he was still able to roll away from the knife arcing toward his head.

Sam pulled his pistol and took aim, but Steve was too close for Sam to risk taking a shot. Knowing that he'd be useless in hand-to-hand fighting, he grabbed a rock and threw it at the back of Rumlow's head.

Hitting Rumlow did nothing but make him angrier. He turned and charged Sam, lowering his head at the last minute in order to use his shoulder to knock Sam flat on his back. Rumlow had misjudged Sam's position and instead of hitting the floor of the cave, they both toppled over the edge and began rolling down the steep path to the bottom of the cliff.

Sam could feel a warmth on his chest, and he knew that he'd busted his stitches, but he didn't care. He had Rumlow out in the open and now was his chance to put an end to the nightmare he and YN had been living for the past few weeks.

Rumlow got to his feet first and came at Sam with a nasty right hook. Sam's head whipped back as he took the punch on his jaw. Backing away quickly, he struggled to regain his balance as Rumlow twirled the knife in his hand.

"This is gonna hurt," Rumlow taunted. "There are no prisoners with the seventy-fifth Ranger Regiment, just order. And order only comes through pain. You ready for yours?"

"Man, shut the hell up." Sam reached into his holster and pulled his gun, flicking the safety as he aimed. He fired off a round, but Rumlow had predicted his move and shifted to his right causing the bullet to miss.

Steve ran about halfway down the path before jumping and tackling Rumlow to the ground. Sam cursed as he realized that he didn't have a shot again. He stood by helplessly, applying pressure to his wound and watched as Steve and Rumlow traded blows, both men equally matched.

The storm around them continued to worsen as the winds began to blow limbs from the trees and the lightning started to grow closer. As Sam watched the battle between Steve and Rumlow, a jagged spear of light electrified the air around him as it hit a tree about five yards away from him. Sam stumbled from the shock of the close call with death. He then watched in horror as the tree caught fire and the winds began to spread the flames.

"Steve," Sam called. "We gotta get out of here before this whole area catches on fire."

Steve turned away from Rumlow for a moment to see what Sam was talking about and Rumlow took his chance. Running at Steve full force, he aimed the knife straight for his chest.

"Steve, your six," Sam yelled.

Steve turned a one-eighty as his attention focused back on Rumlow just in time to dodge the knife. Rumlow's momentum continued to propel him forward toward the ever growing wall of flames. Steve quickly backed away as the fire continued to rapidly spread through the brush at his feet.

Sam rushed to Steve, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the wildfire that was being fed by the high winds of the storm. They looked on in horror as Rumlow desperately tried to find a break in the red hot wall that had trapped him against the edge of the cliff.

Steve made a move to go Rumlow's aid, but Sam held him back. "It's too late, man. You'll never get through those flames. Rumlow's got it coming to him, and I won't let you risk your life for the man that tried to kill my wife."

"We can't just leave him here, Sam," Steve argued. "That's not the kind of man you are."

"What would you have me do, Steve?" Sam asked. "I'm about to bleed to death – I'm barely going to be able to get myself to safety. He just tried to kill you, are you willing to burn to death with him?"

Steve looked back at the flames standing between him and Rumlow and shook his head. "If he hadn't come at me with the knife, we could've all made it out alive. He brought this on himself."

"Okay," Sam said as he started to pull Steve away from the fire. "We need to get out of here before its too late. I'm not about to die out here in the middle of a wildfire. We'll leave this one to the Zulies."

The smoke started to get thicker, and soon they couldn't see Rumlow, but they heard his screams as they ran back toward the truck. Sam had a moment of guilt for leaving the man to burn to death, but he kept reminding himself that if it hadn't been for a streak of good luck, he'd have died a week ago at the hands of that very man. He knew that this was going to stick with him for years to come, but he'd just have to learn to live with it.

Steve saw Sam start to falter and grabbed ahold of one of his arms. Slinging it over his shoulder, he half-carried his friend away from the raging wildfire behind them. Just before they reached the truck, they ran into Trip and the rest of the Sheriff's Department.

"You've got to turn back," Steve called out to them as they got closer. "Call the Zulies – this wildfire is going to get out of hand real quick and we need some Smokejumpers down here soon before it reaches the town."

One of the deputies immediately got on the radio to contact dispatch about the wildfire. Trip ran up to Sam and lifted his other arm around his shoulder to help Steve.

"Where's Rumlow?" Trip asked once they'd gotten away from the thick smoke.

"He got caught up in the fire," Steve said, his voice laced with regret. "I hated to leave him there, but the flames were spreading too fast to do anything to help him."

"I hate to say it, but it's what he deserved."

"It's not right, but I agree with you," Steve said. "If he'd had his way, we'd all be dead right now."

Looking down at Sam, Trip noticed that his boss was quickly losing consciousness. "If we don't get him to a hospital soon, Rumlow will have accomplished what he set out to do."

As they neared the line of vehicles on the narrow dirt road, Steve saw YN running toward them, her arm in a sling. Cursing Bucky and Peter for not taking her to the hospital like they'd been told, he nudged Sam.

"You need to wake up, buddy. Someone needs to know that you're alright."

"Sam," YN called out once she was close enough. "Oh my God, are you alright? Steve, what happened?"

"He took a nasty fall down the side of the cliff and busted his stitches," Steve explained as the paramedics rushed toward them. "He's lost a lot of blood again."

"You stupid man," YN said as she watched the paramedics lay him down on a stretcher for the second time in a week. "You just had to show up and play the hero."

"I couldn't let him hurt you, YN," Sam said, his word beginning to slur as he slipped closer to unconsciousness. "Not before I told you that I loved you."

YN leaned down and framed his face with her hands. She could see the truth of his words shining bright in his eyes. Gently grazing her lips over his, she whispered, "I love you, too, Sam."

"Can you forgive me for acting like an idiot tonight?  I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted to keep you safe."

"We were both acting pretty stupid tonight," she told him as she stepped back to allow the paramedics to load him into the back of the ambulance.  "Just promise me that you'll take it easy this time around and let me help you get better."

Sam nodded toward the sling as the paramedics helped her up into the ambulance.  "You've got a broken arm.  I think we're both going to need a little bit of help."

"I think we'll do just fine if we stick together,” she said as she took a seat beside him.

Taking her good hand in his, he brought it to his lips."That's a chance I'm willing to take.” He took a ragged breath before continuing. “Taking a chance on you was the best decision I've ever made.  I can't promise I won't screw up, but I promise I'll do my best to make you happy."

"That's all I've ever wanted.”

 

_~The End~_

_Sam and the Reader will return in Peter Quill's segment of the Marvelous Men of Montana Saga – Blackwater Falls, beginning next Sunday._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 17 of this story!  I knew when I started writing this story that Rumlow would die a fiery death like he did in Civil War, but I also knew that it would be hard to write it the way I'd planned.  Sam and Steve have such strong moral compasses, it was hard to have them leave Rumlow to die like that.  I hope that I was able to convey the guilt of their decision, and I hope that you think I did a decent job of staying true to their characterization.  There was also a bit of dialogue from The Winter Soldier that I had to include in this story. Some lines are just that iconic! After all of this, I think Sam and the Reader will have smooth sailing from here on out, and if they were able to stick together through this, they have a real chance of making it.  Don't you agree? I look forward to your comments!_

**Author's Note:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 1 of this story! Do you have any ideas about what’s going to happen next? Any clue as to who the lucky lady is going to be? I look forward to your comments!_


End file.
